Teacher's Pet
by GwenOwenforever
Summary: Gwen Cooper has a normal job working in a normal nursery when Team Torchwood burst in and everything changes. John Hart turns up and she learns the cruel reality of her world. When it's all over an exciting offer is made but will she take it?


**Disclaimer:** Still do not own Torchwood! =(

Gwen Cooper sat back in her chair in her office and sighed. The nursery she worked in and now owned, had closed for the evening and she'd just said goodbye to her staff as they left to go home. It had been a very long day. One of her girls had turned ill and she'd sent her home and no one could cover her shift. Gwen took it instead, not that she minded seeing as she loved her job. It just meant they were run off their feet all day and would be tomorrow until someone else could take over.

Gwen smiled at a picture on her desk one of the children had painted for her. She knew she wasn't supposed to have favourites but little Ruby definitely stood out for her. She had the biggest brown eyes and a cute little button nose. Her brown hair was always pulled back in little pigtails and hung around her little chubby face.

She sighed again as she closed her computer down and scooped up her things to shove into her bag. These days Gwen hated going home. The only thing waiting for her now was an empty flat she still hadn't gotten used to, even after three years.

She'd split up with her long-term boyfriend Rhys Williams after a fight they'd had after Gwen quit her job as a police officer.

She loved her old job at first. It was fun and she'd made a lot of great friends but she couldn't help but feel something was missing. It wasn't until a friend had asked her to babysit that she realised what it was.

She hadn't told Rhys she'd quit her job until he'd found out himself almost a week later. He'd been furious she hadn't told him and when she told him what she wanted to do, he wasn't exactly supportive. Gwen had plans to get a job in a nursery and work her way to the top and maybe one day start her own. He told her it was a stupid idea and they'd end up bankrupt by the time she got there. He didn't see why she had to quit her old, well paid job.

She told him she didn't see their relationship working if he didn't want to support her goals and dreams like she'd always done with him. Every mad, stupid idea he'd had, she'd always be there by his side telling him to go for it.

In the end Gwen moved out and bought her own two bedroomed flat. She'd converted the smallest bedroom into a little office where she could finish off any work. It was nice but it always felt empty and lonely.

When she let herself in, she threw her keys and bag onto the little table beside the door. She took her papers out of her bag and headed into her office. The picture little Ruby had painted was pinned up on her wall among the ones other children had painted for her.

She smiled as she looked around at them all. There was a wobbly smiley face a little boy named Ryan had painted her. Another boy named Billy had done his hand prints all over the page. Gwen had laughed when he came away covered from head to foot in paint. It took two of them to clean him up and find him some clean clothes to change into. His mother hadn't been too angry luckily. There was another painting of colourful blobs that were supposed to be her and the class painted by little Bethan.

The phone on her desk started ringing and Gwen quickly answered it.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Hey Gwen." A voice croaked on the other end. "It's Megan, listen I'm not going to be able to make it to work tomorrow. I'm really sorry."

"Oh no, not you too." Gwen sighed. "Are you ok?"

"Not too well to be honest. I don't know what came over me. One minute I was fine and the next, my head was spinning and I felt sick." Megan explained.

"Well I hope you get better soon. Take it easy." Gwen told her.

"Thanks Gwen, see you soon." Megan said before putting the phone down in a fit of coughs.

Gwen groaned and lowered herself into her chair. Not another one. Lately her girls seemed to be dropping like flies, all with the same symptoms.

She hoped it wasn't something catching. She didn't want any of the children to catch it.

She retired to her room and collapsed face first onto her bed.

"Benjamin don't run with scissors. You know better than that." Gwen called the next day as she carried a tray of empty milk cartons into the nursery kitchens.

She put them in the bin and the tray in the sink before slumping against the wall and clutching her head in her hands.

"Gwen? Are you ok?" The cook, Sam asked.

"Yeah." Gwen sighed. "I'm just a bit stressed that's all. With all the girls being ill I've had to take on extra jobs myself and give more to the girls that are here. It's -" She looked around for any children before continuing. "It's bloody mayhem."

"Everything will be fine, you'll see." Sam reassured her. "Don't get stressed. God help us if you go down too. This place will definitely turn into mayhem then."

"Oh don't worry about me." Gwen told her. "Best get back, I don't think poor Trina can handle all those kids on her own." As she entered the main room, she clapped her hands to get the children's attention. "Alright everyone, outside. Time for a little fresh air I think."

The children cheered as she opened the door to the playground and let them all out.

"Thank you." Trina sighed in relief.

Gwen smiled and she followed the children outside and Trina stayed inside to tidy up a bit.

A black SUV pulled up outside the gates and four people jumped out, running towards the nursery. The woman in the group was pointing a small hand held device in the air as they entered the playground.

"Excuse me." Gwen called. "Who are you and what do you think you're doing?"

"Captain Jack Harkness." The man in the long coat introduced himself. "We're Torchwood. Could we speak to the person in charge?"

"You're speaking to her." Gwen answered, folding her arms across her chest.

"Could we go somewhere private please?" He asked.

Gwen frowned as she nodded and led them inside the building.

"Trina, go outside and look after the kids will you? I'll finish up in here." Gwen said. Trina nodded and left the room, shooting curious looks at the four strangers. "So what's Torchwood? What business do you have in a nursery?"

"Our work is confidential but we're looking for something. Maybe you could help us out." Jack said.

"Not until you tell me exactly who you are." She argued.

"Sorry, we can't." A brown eyed man said from behind him.

Her eyes lingered on him, longer than what would be considered as professional. She quickly turned back to the leader of the group.

"Well tough shit, I can't help you then." She told him.

"That's not language you should be using around children is it Mrs..?" The other man smirked.

"Cooper. Gwen Cooper and it's Miss." She answered. She had no idea why she found it so important to clarify that she was single. "Listen, I've got better things to worry about right now than whatever it is you've lost, so if you don't mind leaving."

"We haven't lost anything." Jack told her. "We're looking for something that might have...appeared here in the last couple of days."

"Whatever it is, it's not here. Now could you please leave?" She demanded. "I don't like strangers wandering into my -"

"It could be dangerous." Jack interrupted.

"What?" She frowned.

"Whatever it is, it could be dangerous." He repeated.

"You don't even know what it is yourselves?" She asked.

"No." He answered.

"Then how do you know it might be here? What makes you think it's dangerous?" She asked.

"We can't tell you." The Japanese woman told her. "Please, just trust us."

"If this thing you're talking about is here, I want it off this property now. I won't have any harm come to these children." She replied.

"We need to take a look around." Jack said.

"Fine, just stay away from the children." Gwen warned. She spotted the gun at Jack's side and pointed. "And you can get that thing out of here right now or you're not going anywhere but off this site."

"Alright." Jack agreed. "Since you've chosen to co-operate, the least we can do is respect your wishes. Ok team, give Ianto your guns and he can take them to the SUV. Tosh, come with me, Ianto join us when you get back. Owen stay here with Miss...sorry what was it?"

"Cooper." Gwen and the man supposedly named Owen repeated.

She raised an eyebrow at him before shaking her head and turning back to Jack.

"Ok, Owen stay with Miss Cooper." Jack said.

Gwen started tidying the toys away as the mysterious team did as he said. Owen stood awkwardly in the corner and she was aware of him watching her.

"Listen, if you're going to just stand there, you might as well make yourself useful." She told him. "Pick up those bricks and put them back in the bucket will you?"

Owen rolled his eyes but did as she asked. As he bent down to pick up the wooden bricks from the floor, Gwen stood on a chair to place a bottle of paint on one of the high shelves and he got a very good view of her arse. She turned and caught him looking and they both turned a deep shade of red. He quickly went back to his job as she turned back and climbed down.

"So how long have you been working here?" He asked.

"About two or three years." She answered. "I was just a nursery nurse when I started out and then I became deputy manager and when the boss left, they left it to me."

"Wow, that's not bad is it?" He commented. "And have you always done this?"

"No, I'm an ex-police officer." She told him. "I worked at the police station for a few years before I did this."

"What made you change your mind?" He asked.

"I looked after my friend's daughter and I just...I don't know. I just really enjoyed it and that's when I knew this was the job for me." She explained, a small smile on her lips as she remembered.

"So you're a Miss? You erm...seeing anyone?" He enquired, turning away.

"No, not at the minute. I was, but it didn't work out." She sighed.

"That's too bad." He said.

"Yeah." She nodded. "So what about you, you seeing anyone?"

"No, I'm not actually." He told her. "Here, where do you want these?"

He picked up the bucket of bricks and she walked over to take them from him.

"Oh thanks." She smiled.

Her hands brushed his as she took them from him and they stared into each other's eyes. Gwen hugged the bucket to her chest and smiled shyly at him. He cleared his throat and they turned away from each other quickly. Gwen put the bricks away in a cupboard before turning back to him.

"Sorry about bursting in like this." He told her. "I know how annoying we can be sometimes but we really don't show up unless there's something serious going on."

"Nothing too serious I hope." She said. "I mean, should I call their parents and ask them to come and pick them up?"

"No, it's alright. Don't worry, we'll make sure you're all safe." He reassured her. "You haven't seen anything weird though have you?"

"Well, not really." She said, frowning a little. "Although, my girls have been coming down with something these past couple of days. As you can see, we're a little short staffed at the minute. I don't know what's going on. Must be some sort of flu going around."

"Yeah." He nodded slowly. "Erm...if you see anything else, call this number."

He handed her a piece of paper and she took it, glancing at the number.

"Is this the head office's number or something?" She asked.

"No, that's my number. My own personal number." He told her. "But erm...even if you don't see anything, you could still call. We could...I don't know...meet up for drinks."

"Your job, is it dangerous?" She asked, a smirk on her lips.

"Yeah, it can be." He nodded. "But don't worry, I can look after myself."

"I usually stay away from dangerous men. I wouldn't want to set a bad example for my kids." She said.

"You've got kids?" He enquired.

"No, the kids here at the nursery." She laughed. "I treat them like my family."

"What, visit them on birthdays and Christmas then try and avoid them the rest of the year?" He joked.

She giggled and shook her head at him.

"Well anyway, I usually stay away from dangerous men but...I suppose I could make an exception for you seeing as you apologised so nicely for barging in here." She told him, her eyebrows raised flirtatiously.

He smirked and took a step closer to her.

"Miss Cooper." A tiny voice sobbed from the doorway.

Gwen turned quickly and saw little Ruby, rubbing her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Oh Ruby, what's up?" She asked gently.

Ruby stuck out her leg to show her a bloody knee under her skirt.

"I fell over." She cried.

"Oh darling, it's ok." Gwen said comfortingly and went over to scoop the little girl into her arms. "Come on, let's go clean it up and put a plaster on it. We've got some dinosaur ones this time. Now, where did you fall over?"

"I fell off the swing." She answered.

Owen followed Gwen as she took the girl into her office where the first aid box was located. She sat Ruby on the edge of her desk as she grabbed a piece of cotton wool and wet it.

"Oh dear." Gwen said.

"It hurts." Ruby sobbed as she cleaned it up.

"I know sweetheart but it'll be over soon. If you're a big, brave girl, you can have one of the special stickers." Gwen told her.

"A shiny one?" Ruby asked, her sobs stopping instantly.

"Yes, a shiny one." Gwen nodded as she grabbed a plaster. Ruby grinned and her brown eyes sparkled. "There we go, all better." The little girl was given a sticker on her jumper and a big hug. "You've been a very brave girl."

Gwen lifted her off the desk and placed her back on the floor. Ruby sucked her thumb and stared up at Owen, frowning.

"Miss Cooper, is that your boyfriend?" She asked.

"No sweetheart. Mr..."

"Harper." He finished for her.

"Mr Harper is just a...friend." Gwen told her. "Go and play now."

As Ruby ran out of the office to join the rest of the children, Gwen pulled down a red folder marked 'Accident Book'.

"You handled that pretty well." Owen told her.

"Well, thank you. I think I should have, considering I've been dealing with little accidents like that for three years now." She said as she recorded Ruby's accident in the book.

"Yeah sorry." He laughed. "It's just odd to see someone other than me treating wounds. I'm a doctor."

"Oh really?" She asked.

He nodded and smiled. Gwen pulled out a piece of paper and filled in the appropriate gaps. He read it over her shoulder.

"Ruby _has had an accident at nursery today._ She _has been given the following treatment:_ graze on the left knee cleaned and covered with a plaster."

"What's this then?" Owen asked in interest.

"It's just something we send the children home with so their parents are aware of what happened and can be reassured that their child has been given the appropriate treatment." She explained. "We'll also tell the parents face to face when they come to pick them up. This is just something we like to do."

She also scribbled something else on a scrap piece of paper he couldn't see.

He followed her again as she went to the coat pegs to find Ruby's book bag and put the note in.

"You really do take care of these kids don't you?" He smiled in admiration.

"Of course we do. Their safety comes first." She told him.

"Well, I'll argue with anyone who dares say you don't do your job properly." He said.

She blushed and smiled shyly.

"Thank you." She said quietly. She handed him the scrap of paper she'd written on and blushed an even deeper shade of red. "It's my number. _My_ own personal number."

He laughed and took it from her.

"Well thank you very much." He said.

"I should...get the children back in..." She mumbled as she scooted around him and back out into the playground. He watched her go and smiled, pocketing her number. He heard the shrill noise of a whistle being blown and then the loud chatter of five year olds coming back into the building. "Ok children, sit down on the carpet, it's story time. Who'd like to pick out a story?"

When Owen joined her in the main nursery room, he saw her sitting on the floor with the children. The other nursery nurse sat with them, one of the little girls in her lap. About a dozen kids had their hands up, waving them madly for her to choose them. There were a few kids that stared at him like Ruby had and he started to feel a bit uncomfortable.

Gwen saw them looking and turned to smile at him. She gestured for him to go over but he shook his head quickly.

"I should be going." He told her.

"But your friends haven't finished yet. You're not leaving until I know it's safe for these children." She told him. "So until they come back..."

She patted the floor beside her and shot him that look a teacher gave you and you just couldn't argue back. On her though it looked...sexy.

He cleared his throat and sat down quickly and a little awkwardly. It had been a long time since he'd sat like this.

"Is he reading to us today?" A little blonde haired girl asked.

Gwen looked at Owen, whose eyes widened and he shook his head quickly.

"No Lily." She laughed. "How about you choose us a story today and Miss Smith can read it."

Lily got up and ran over to the little bookshelf and grabbed a big hard back book. She ran back and handed the book to the other woman. Gwen glanced at Owen and smiled, her cheeks turning pink as she looked away.

The classroom door opened and Jack and the rest of the team walked in. Owen and Gwen quickly stood up and she led them to her office.

"Having a good time there Owen?" Jack asked.

"Shut up Jack." He mumbled back.

"So did you find it?" Gwen demanded as she closed the door behind them.

"Not exactly..." Jack answered, shooting a quick glance at Owen. "We'll let you know if we do. I promise you're in no danger though."

"What do you mean, 'not exactly'?" She asked.

"We're sorry for intruding." Jack said and led the team out of her office.

"You can't just leave without telling me what's happening." She called as she followed them out.

They ignored her as they left. Only Owen stopped in the doorway and watched her as she sighed and sat back with the children. Ruby crawled onto her lap and waved at him. Owen waved back and gave Gwen an apologetic smile as she looked at him.

"Don't forget to call." He told her.

She nodded and smiled as she watched him leave.

Gwen and Trina said goodbye to the last child and closed the door.

"So who were those people in that big fancy car?" Trina asked.

"Some sort of top secret organisation or something. Torchwood, they were called." Gwen told her.

"Never heard of them." Trina said.

"Me neither." She sighed.

"Hey but that bloke was a bit of alright wasn't he?" Trina grinned.

"Oh really, which one?" Gwen asked.

"The one in the long coat." She answered. "The one that sat with us was alright too."

"Really? I didn't notice." Gwen lied as she turned to drain the water tray.

"Oh come on, you were flirting big time." She laughed. "And he couldn't take his eyes off you. I reckon he fancies you."

"Oh don't be silly." Gwen giggled. "Really? Do you think?"

"Course he does, he told you to call him didn't he?" Trina pointed out.

"Well yeah..." Gwen shrugged.

"Go on, call him. I dare you." She laughed.

"What – no – I – alright." She giggled as she pulled his number out of her pocket. She grabbed her phone from her jacket pocket in her office and joined Trina back in the classroom. Gwen put it on speaker phone as they sat on one of the tables and huddled together. She started to get nervous as the phone rang once then twice. "He's not going to answer." She whispered.

"Hello?" A voice asked from the phone.

"Hi Owen, it's Gwen Cooper." She told him. "From the nursery."

"Oh hey. You ok?" He asked.

"Yeah I'm fine thanks. Are you?" She replied.

"Yeah I'm alright." He answered.

Gwen looked up at Trina for help.

"What do I say?" She whispered.

"Ask him out." Trina replied, nudging her arm.

"I can't do that, I hardly know him." Gwen protested.

"Oh come here." Trina sighed. "Listen, Owen this is Trina. I work with Gwen. She's being a bit of a chicken at the minute but she wants to know whether you'll go for a drink with her tomorrow."

"Trina!" Gwen hissed.

"Yeah, I'd love to." Owen answered. "How does half eight sound?"

"It's perfect." Trina told him.

"Great. Erm...is Gwen actually there still?" He asked.

"Yeah she is. Come on Gwen, speak up." Trina laughed.

"Hey..." Gwen mumbled shyly.

"Hey. If you text me your address, I'll come pick you up tomorrow night and I'll make sure you get home safe and sound." He told her.

"Erm...ok then. I'll see you tomorrow." Gwen smiled.

"See you tomorrow." He replied.

They burst into a fit of schoolgirl giggles once she'd hung up.

"Here, you don't think he'd get me a date with that other bloke do you?" Trina asked.

Gwen shook her head at her friend and rolled her eyes.

As soon as she got home that night, Gwen logged onto her laptop and typed 'Torchwood' into the search engine. There was nothing. Not even the tiniest piece of information about the organisation.

She picked up her phone and dialled an old work colleague's number.

"Hey Yvonne, it's Gwen. Look, I know I'm not a police officer any more but I need you to do me a big favour." She said.

"Gwen, you know I can't." Yvonne replied.

"Oh please. I won't ask for anything else." Gwen begged.

"Alright." Yvonne sighed. "What is it?"

"I need you to look someone up for me. His name's Captain Jack Harkness and he's American. Oh and could you search for something called Torchwood for me?" She asked.

"I'll see what I can do but I'm not doing anything else after this. If anyone finds out, it's my job on the line." Yvonne told her.

"I know, I'm really sorry but this is important. Thank you so so much. Let me know if you find anything." Gwen said.

"Will do." Yvonne replied.

"Thanks so much. I owe you big time." Gwen told her.

She hung up and placed the phone back on the desk. Sitting back in her chair, she looked at the computer screen and bit her lip in concentration. Who was this man who thought he could just waltz in anywhere and not give answers? What was Torchwood? What did they do?

She yawned and made her way to bed, thinking about the day's events. Gwen was shocked at herself when she realised how badly she was flirting with Owen. They were in the middle of a nursery for God's sake. He must have thought she was desperate or a pathetic loser or something. Did he only agree to go out with her because he felt sorry for her?

Gwen groaned and buried her face in her pillow. If that was the case, he'd probably stand her up or have just the one drink and get her home again.

She grabbed her mobile as she remembered she had to text Owen her address.

When his reply came, she couldn't help but smile.

"_Great. I'll see you tomorrow.  
>Can't wait."<em>

Gwen had a little extra help the next day. One of her girls had recovered from her illness. It was only one more pair of hands but Gwen could already tell the difference.

She was sitting in her office during her dinner break when the school phone rang.

"Hello. Gwen Cooper, Rainbow Day Nursery, how can I help you?" She asked.

"Hi, I've been told you're having staffing issues and I've been told to call and see if I can help." A male voice told her.

"Oh well, we don't usually let strangers just come into the nursery to look after the children." She told him.

"Oh no, don't worry the head office the erm...the...sorry the name's gone out of my head." He laughed.

"The school board?" She suggested.

"Yes." He said quickly. "They've asked me to call and let you know I'm able to come and help you. Don't worry, I've had all the necessary checks and training."

"Oh great. Well, what's your name?" She asked.

"John." He answered. "John Hart."

"And when can you start?" She replied.

"As soon as possible." He told her. "In fact, I'm almost there now."

"Oh if you don't mind." She said. "It would be a really big help if you could come now. Thank you."

"It's my pleasure." John told her. "I'll see you there."

She put the phone down and breathed a sigh of relief. At last, someone was giving her a break.

When John arrived, she was a little shocked to say the least. He didn't look the type to want to work with children and for some reason, he didn't look too happy to be in a shirt and smart trousers.

"Well, the kids are through here. We'll see how you get on with them before we start asking you to organise your own activities and things." Gwen told him. "But first...if you don't mind I'd like to check this out with the board. Could you just come through to my office?"

"Yeah sure but you really don't have to. I can assure you everything is perfectly fine." He told her.

She took a seat behind her desk and gestured for him to sit in the chair on the opposite side.

As she waited for someone to pick up the other end, she looked him over and he stared back confidently. She swivelled around in her chair so her back was to him and she didn't see him fiddle with something on his wrist.

"Hello, this is Gwen Cooper from Rainbow Day Nursery, I was wondering if you could confirm something for me." She said.

John continued to fiddle with a strap on his wrist, still unnoticed by Gwen.

"Yes, of course. What is it you'd like to confirm?" A rather robotic female voice asked.

Gwen frowned slightly but shrugged it off and continued the conversation.

"I have a John Hart here who claims to have been sent by you to help us out with a staffing problem. I just wondered if you could tell me if that's true or not." She explained.

"Yes we did and I can confirm he's had all the security checks. He has a five year history of working with children and is very reliable." She told her.

"Alright, well thank you for that. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't letting in some psycho." Gwen joked. John smirked behind her and wriggled his eyebrows. "Thanks again. Goodbye."

Gwen put the phone down and turned back to smile at John. He covered his wrist strap quickly with his shirt sleeve and smiled back.

"Everything ok?" He asked.

"Yes, it's all fine." She answered. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the staff and then we'll put you in with the kids."

She kept a close eye on him but she didn't really need to worry. The kids seemed to love him and he'd already learned their names by the end of the day without help. It took Gwen almost a week to learn names when a new lot came up.

He left leaving Trina, Gwen and Beth behind.

"Wow." Trina said, fanning her face with her hand. "He is just...wow."

"Tell me about it." Beth grinned.

"Where did you find him?" Trina asked.

"He just turned up. The board sent him." Gwen answered. "He is a bit of alright though isn't he."

"Hey, hands off. You've got that date tonight." Trina told her. "Here, you get off and get ready, we'll finish up here."

"I can't leave you to do all this. There's the check list to do, the toys to put away, the outside toys to bring in, the tables to wipe down. There's just too much to do." Gwen argued.

"Don't worry about it, me and Beth will get it all done." Trina told her. "Come on Beth, help me out."

Trina grabbed one of Gwen's arms while Beth grabbed the other and they led her out of the nursery.

"I can't." Gwen protested.

"Oh piss off." Trina sighed. "Go, get ready and don't forget to tell me all about it tomorrow."

Gwen broke into a grin and squealed excitedly.

"I will do." She smiled. "Thank you both so much."

She ran off to her car and drove quickly to her flat.

She was just finishing getting ready when the phone in her office rang. She ran to answer it, tugging her shoes on as she went.

"Gwen it's Yvonne." Yvonne said.

"Oh hey. Did you find anything?" Gwen asked.

"All searches I ran for Torchwood came up with dead ends. I've found records of our team going out on investigations and Torchwood arrive on the scene. Torchwood take over and the records end there. We're not told what they do or anything. No one at the station seems to like them to be honest. They just barge in wherever they please and take over without any explanation." Yvonne explained.

"Yeah I know how they feel. And Captain Jack Harkness?" She asked.

"Captain Jack Harkness was an American volunteer for the Royal Air Force. He disappeared and vanished off the records, presumed dead in nineteen forty-one. At the height of the Blitz on the morning of January twenty-first, Captain Harkness failed to report for duty and he was never seen again." Yvonne told her. "Can't be the same man you're talking about could it?"

"No, he looks too young to be that old." Gwen sighed. "He was wearing one of those long sort of military coats though."

"Could be named after his grandfather and the coat was his." Yvonne suggested.

"Yeah...you're sure there's no one else it could be?" Gwen asked.

"I did find hundreds of John's and Jack's with that surname but none of them are a Captain. Apart from the one I've just told you about." She answered.

"Alright. Well, thanks anyway." Gwen said.

"No problem." She replied.

Gwen sighed as she put the phone down.

She heard someone knock on the door and she jumped up, remembering Owen was supposed to be picking her up about now.

When she opened the door, she smiled as Owen stood in the doorway.

"Hi." Gwen said.

"Hi, you ok?" He asked.

"I'm fine thank you. Are you?" She replied as she stepped aside to let him in.

"Yeah, I'm great." He said.

"I'll be right back, I've just got to get my bag." She told him.

Owen looked around as she left to fetch her bag.

"Nice place you got here." He called.

"It's alright." She said. "Bit big for just me but it was the first thing I could get short notice and at such a cheap price."

"Short notice?" He enquired.

"Yeah...it didn't end too well with me and my boyfriend and I just had to get out of there as soon as possible." She told him as she came back out to him. "I stayed at my mum and dad's for a while but it wasn't exactly practical."

"It ended badly, how?" He asked.

"It's complicated." She sighed. "Anyway, let's go."

He took her to a quiet pub and bought her a drink. They sat across from each other at a small table by the window.

"I've never been out with a teacher before." He told her. "I guess I'd better be on my best behaviour unless I want to end up in detention."

"My kids are too young for detention." She laughed.

"Alright, the naughty step then." He said.

"Yes, that's more like it. So behave or I'll be having words with you in my office and sending you to the naughty step." She warned.

"How do you know I'm not going to misbehave just to get into that office of yours?" He smirked.

Gwen blushed and hid her face in her hair as she took a sip of her drink. She was flirting and now fantasising about a man she hardly knew.

"So, what do you do then? I mean what's Torchwood?" She asked.

"Oh you wouldn't be interested." He told her.

"You'd be surprised. I've done research on Torchwood and there is nothing out there about you. Jack Harkness has an interesting story." She replied.

"What have you found out about him?" Owen asked.

"Well, Captain Jack Harkness was a volunteer for the Royal Air Force but he went missing in nineteen forty-one, presumed dead." Gwen said. "Until now."

"That's not our Jack." Owen laughed. Gwen watched him with her eyebrows raised and just shrugged. He cleared his throat and changed the subject quickly. "You seem more relaxed than you were yesterday."

"Oh yeah well one of the girls came back today." Gwen explained. "It was such a relief. Then the board sent this bloke up out of the blue to help us out. It's a bit odd though, how they found out we were understaffed. Maybe one of the parents phoned them in concern."

"He came out of the blue you say." Owen frowned.

"Yeah." She nodded. "And he was there within ten minutes of him calling to say he was coming. I'm telling you it's like he was sent from heaven. The kids love him."

"What's his name?" Owen asked.

"John Hart." She told him. A flash of something crossed his face before he composed himself. "Do you know that name?"

"Sort of. Look Gwen, just be careful around him ok. Even better, get rid of him. Keep him away from the kids." Owen said seriously.

"Why?" She laughed. "He's not dangerous. I've checked with the board, he's had all the security checks. He's perfectly safe."

"Fine, don't believe me but please, just...be careful." He said.

"I...I will..." She nodded.

"Thank you." He breathed in relief.

"Why are you so concerned anyway?" She smiled.

"Well because – you're a friend and I – I wouldn't want you to – and the kids – I know you wouldn't want the kids to get hurt." He stammered. Owen looked away in embarrassment before glancing back and laughing. "So what time does Cinderella need to go back home?"

"Are you referring to me?" She giggled. He smiled and she blushed. "Well, it's Friday so I'm not at work tomorrow. So...any time really."

She almost groaned. He must have thought she sounded so desperate.

"Great. I'll get us another drink then." He said.

"Oh, thanks." She smiled.

As the night went on, they learned more about each other and swapped likes and dislikes. They both found it so easy to be themselves with each other.

"Salad or a big slice of greasy pizza?" He asked.

"Oh give me a big slice of pizza any day." She answered.

"I take it you're not one of these weight obsessed girls then." He laughed.

"Oh God no." She replied. "I am the way I am and that's it. If you don't like the way I look then tough shit."

"Well, I like the way you look. I think you look great." Owen told her.

"Oh...thanks..." She giggled.

"I guess we should turn in for the night." He said. "Come on, I'll take you home."

He drove her home and walked her up to her flat door. As she got out her keys, she turned to him and smiled.

"Thank you. It's been a wonderful evening." She told him.

"It has." He nodded. She unlocked her door and went to step inside. "Wait. Gwen, can I see you again?"

"I'd like that." She smiled.

"When?" He asked.

"Monday? It's a bank holiday so I won't be at work. You could come over and I could cook us something to eat if you'd like." She suggested.

"That would be great. Erm...what time?" He asked.

"Six? If that's ok. Will you be working on Monday?" She asked.

"My boss makes us work practically every day so yes, but I'll leave early." He told her.

"Oh no, you don't have to do that. I wouldn't want to get you into trouble." She said. "We can reschedule."

"No, don't worry about it." He said quickly. "I'll sort something out."

"Well...if you're sure." She shrugged.

"I am." He nodded.

"I guess it's goodnight then. I'll see you Monday." She said.

He grabbed her arm as she went to go inside and he stepped up to stand in front of her. Her eyes met his and her breath started to shake. Owen leant in and kissed her cheek. When he pulled away, she stood staring at him, dazed.

"Goodnight Gwen." He smiled.

She nodded slowly but didn't move for a few seconds. Gwen shook her head and quickly ran into her flat.

As soon as the door was closed, she leant against it and closed her eyes, smiling. She waited for her heart to stop fluttering before she skipped into the bathroom for a shower before bed.

She spent almost two hours on the phone to Trina the next day, telling her all about her date with Owen.

"I'm seeing him again on Monday. He's coming over for dinner." Gwen told her.

"Are you sure that's all he's coming over for?" Trina smirked.

"Oi! I do not sleep with a man on the second date." She said.

"Actually, I can think of a few you did." Trina argued. "What about -"

"Yes well. This time it's different." Gwen interrupted.

"Oh." Trina smiled. "You like him."

"I might do." She shrugged.

"Well if you're not going to sleep with him, at least get some lip action." Trina said.

"You're terrible." Gwen laughed.

"You didn't say you weren't going to try." She pointed out.

"Well...we've already done most of the talking so we have to fill our time with something." Gwen said. "Alright you, I'll see you on Tuesday."

"See you Tuesday babe." Trina replied. "Oh and don't forget, I want to know all the juicy details."

Gwen giggled as she hung up, and relaxed into the chair she was lounging on with her feet over the side. Did she really think Owen was going to kiss her? She hoped so. Ever since last night she'd been imagining it but she wanted to feel it for real.

Monday morning she went shopping for food for their evening meal.

As she was driving down the road, she spotted a familiar black SUV a few cars ahead. She tapped the steering wheel a few times before curiosity got the better of her and she decided to follow. They were driving back towards the bay and stopped outside of the Millennium Centre. Gwen parked a few yards back so they wouldn't spot her and watched them get out. The SUV drove off as three of the team members, Owen, Jack and the Japanese woman, walked towards the water tower.

A gang of youths walked in front of her car blocking them from view. The youths were there for a couple of seconds at the most yet when they moved, the team had gone.

Gwen frowned and jumped out of the car. She ran to the water tower and walked around it, looking for any hidden doorways or anything just to give her a clue as to where they'd gone. She looked around at everyone walking around in the area. No one seemed to have noticed or were bothered by three people suddenly disappearing into thin air. Gwen stopped a woman carrying two bags of shopping.

"Sorry, I won't keep you long." She said. "Have you heard of Torchwood at all?"

"No sorry. Never heard of them." The woman answered.

"Oh, well thanks anyway." Gwen said and let her go.

She asked a few more people before taking one last look at the water tower and heading to her car. Nobody had heard of Torchwood or a Captain Jack Harkness. Just who were these people?

When she let herself into her flat with her shopping, she began to wonder if she'd imagined the whole thing. She'd been so busy wondering who they were, she thought she'd seen them and followed them. It could have been anyone's black SUV she'd followed. It could have been any Japanese woman climbing out of the vehicle. But the other two faces she knew she hadn't imagined. There was no way she could have forgotten that long coat of Jack's. Owen – she'd be able to pick him out in a crowded room. The night they went out, she'd studied every inch of his face and had it memorised perfectly. There was no way she could mistake anyone for him.

Her mind started to wander once she'd started thinking about Owen.

As she put the oven on to heat up later that night, a knock sounded from the door. She went out to answer it, checking her reflection in the mirror as she walked past.

Owen smiled as she opened the door and let him in. He kissed her cheek again and winked.

"Hey, I brought wine." He said.

"Oh lovely." She smiled as he handed her the bottle. "Hang your jacket up and make yourself comfy in the living room. I'll just go fetch us some glasses."

"So, been anywhere interesting today?" Owen called as Gwen went into the kitchen and rummaged in the cupboard for decent wine glasses.

"No, not really." She answered.

She found two right at the back and pulled them out, giving them a quick rinse to get rid of any dust.

Owen was sat on one side of the sofa when she entered the room.

"No? So...didn't go down to the bay or anything?" He asked.

"It was you." She gasped. "I watched you disappear into thin air. I mean, where did you go?"

"Big secret underground lair." He shrugged.

"Oh come on. Stop mucking about." She grinned.

"No honestly." He told her.

"Fine, don't tell me." She laughed. "How did you know I was there anyway? You didn't even look at me."

"We've got cameras everywhere." He answered, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Owen..." She sighed and sat on the sofa beside him. "You know almost everything about me already and yet I know nothing about you. I know your job's hush hush but you can trust me. I'm not going to tell anyone."

"I know but my boss would kill me." Owen sighed.

"I just think if we're not going to be honest with each other then..." She let her voice trail off. She didn't want him to think she was getting any big ideas or taking things far too fast. "I'd better get the dinner in."

She stood up, a little too quickly, and hurried into the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath, she leant against the side for a few minutes before putting the dinner in the oven. There was going to be awkwardness when she went out to him again, she knew it but she had to leave the kitchen some time.

"Gwen, I want you to know that even though we've known each other four or five days, I trust you completely." He told her. "But I can't tell you about this. I want to, so badly but it's too dangerous for my team and...it could put you in danger. Please understand."

"I...I understand." She nodded. "Well, I don't but...I trust you too."

He smiled in relief as she sat back down on the sofa. She poured them a glass of wine each and they clinked their glasses together. They turned their bodies to face each other and smiled over the tops of their glasses.

"Has anyone ever told you you've got the most amazing eyes?" He asked.

"Oh come on Owen. I thought you'd have better chat up lines than those old corny ones." She laughed.

"No really, you do." He insisted. She stopped laughing when she saw the sincerity in his face and felt her face flush red. He smiled at her and stretched his arm out on the back of the sofa, his hand brushing her shoulder causing her blush to deepen. "And you look really cute when you blush."

Gwen dipped her head and tried to hide her face in her hair. He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face back up to look at him.

"Well...thank you." She mumbled.

She swallowed a mouthful of wine before putting her glass on the table. Owen did the same and sat back watching her.

Gwen felt the tension in the air building as she let her eyes meet his every few seconds. She didn't notice until their legs brushed against each other and she looked up at him again, but they'd slowly shuffled closer to each other until they met in the middle. Her heart was pounding as she glanced between his eyes and his lips and she noticed he was doing the same. She watched him swallow as he lifted a hand to brush his thumb across her cheek. Her eyes slid shut as he gently lowered his lips onto hers. It was so much better than she'd imagined. She saw stars shooting across her eyelids and fireworks bursting with bright colours. When he pulled away, she looked up at him a little dazed.

"Sorry." He mumbled. "I shouldn't have -"

"No, it's fine." She whispered, locking her fingers into his hair and pulling him back down to kiss him. One of his hands found it's way to her hair while the other ran down her back and pressed her into him. She lost all sense of time there in his arms and it wasn't until the timer went on the oven that she pulled away. "That's the dinner..." He kissed her again and she clutched the front of his shirt in her hands. "I really should...get that..." He nodded but clamped his lips onto hers. "No...really...I should..."

She pulled herself out of his arms and stood up. They stared at each other, faces flushed. Her eyes dropped to his chest and she noticed she'd unbuttoned his top two buttons.

She ran into the kitchen and leant against the side. So much for only allowing it to go as far as a kiss. God, she was practically undressing him.

She pulled the dinner out of the oven and dished it out. Before taking it out, she grabbed some ice from the freezer and wrapped it in a kitchen towel. She pressed it to her forehead and cheeks to cool herself down. It felt good against her burning skin.

"Hey Gwen, I was just wondering if you needed a hand with..." Owen stopped in the doorway when he spotted her. She put the towel down quickly and and turned away. "Do you need a hand with anything?"

"No, no, I've got it." She said. "I'll be out in a second."

"Gwen are you...are you ok? You don't...regret what just happened do you?" He asked.

She turned to smile at him and shook her head.

"No I don't." She told him. "I just wasn't expecting it to be so...I don't know."

"I know what you mean." He replied. "I felt it too."

He helped her carry the things in, even though she told him she didn't need any help. They sat at the dining table, casting shy smiles at each other as they ate.

After their meal, Owen got up to take the plates into the kitchen.

"Oh you don't have to do that." She said, getting up quickly to take the plates from him.

"It's ok. I want to. It's only fair. You made the delicious meal so I'll do the dishes." He told her.

"But you're my guest. You shouldn't have to wash your own plate." She argued.

"Gwen, you've already made me feel welcome enough." He replied.

She blushed again and looked away shyly.

"Just so you know, I don't usually kiss anyone like that five minutes after them walking through the door and on our second date." She pointed out.

"Do you usually wait ten?" He joked. She shook her head at him and followed him as he went into the kitchen. "So...how many guys have you brought back here?"

"Honestly...one. You." She told him. "Since I broke up with Rhys, I haven't really felt comfortable enough to bring my dates back."

"Why not?" Owen frowned.

"I was scared." She admitted. "Before we broke up, Rhys told me my dreams were stupid and I'd never make it and...all sorts. It just...knocked my confidence. I started wondering if every man I met would think the same."

It was strange admitting this to someone she'd known only five days. She hadn't even told her parents how she felt.

Owen dried his hands on the dishcloth and pulled her into a hug.

"You don't have to be scared Gwen. He was just one stupid bloke. Forget about him. Do you know what Gwen, so many guys would admire your goals if you just let them. I know I do." He told her. "I think you're amazing for just dropping a job and going for your dreams. Look at you now. You're a smart, successful, beautiful woman who enjoys the work she's doing. The kids love you and I don't blame them. If Rhys saw you now, he'd be a complete twat if he didn't apologise and admit he was wrong."

"Owen, you're so sweet." She smiled.

She reached up and gave him a kiss on his lips.

"What made you ask me to come here?" He asked.

"I don't know." She answered honestly. "I just...had this feeling."

They went to sit back down on the sofa and finished off the rest of the wine. They shared more kisses, much to Gwen's delight.

She was sad when the night was over and she was showing him out. Owen turned to her and gave her a nervous smile.

"Erm...there's something I probably should have said earlier." He told her.

"What?" She asked.

"I told my boss about this John just appearing. He wanted to know if anything strange was going on and I thought it was so I told him. He wants to come down to the nursery and check him out." Owen explained.

She'd be lying if she said it didn't sting when he told her.

"Is...is this what all this was about?" She asked. "Did you just want to come here tonight to soften me up and spring this on me? I was told about you lot barging in wherever you please but I didn't think you manipulated people."

"No, Gwen it's not like that." He argued. "Tonight, Friday, that was all genuine."

"You made me think you were interested the minute you walked into my nursery." She said. "I thought I might have actually found someone that respects what I do and why I do it. All this time it's just been about whatever it is your team's investigating. You're not interested in me."

"I am interested. This is why I wanted to tell you before we started tonight. I didn't want you to think like this." He told her.

"Just go Owen." She said. "Come to the nursery tomorrow, whatever. Just don't expect me to welcome you with open arms or big smiles."

"Gwen please. Just listen." He begged.

"Goodnight Owen." She said loudly and held the door open.

He sighed as he left but stopped in the doorway. He turned and looked back at her.

"I swear, everything I said, everything I did, I meant it." He promised. "When I told you I felt something when we kissed, I was telling the truth. Please Gwen, don't throw this away." Tears started to fall down her cheeks as she lowered her gaze to the floor. "I know you don't want this to end. Please, believe me."

"I don't know what to believe with you." She whispered. "You won't tell me about your job, you live a secret life...all I know is you're a very convincing liar. You made me believe I'd fallen for you, but what I actually fell for were the lies you told me."

She closed the door in his face when he tried to protest and ran into her room. Throwing herself onto her bed, she sobbed into her pillow and scolded herself for being so stupid.

Trina noticed the fake smile she put on around the children and John the next day. When they were alone together in a room, Gwen's shoulders would droop and she'd become quiet, not the usual cheerful, chatty Gwen at all.

"It didn't go well then?" Trina asked sadly as they sat in her office at lunch. She shook her head and burst into fresh tears. Trina pulled her into a hug and rocked her gently. "It's alright babe. What happened?"

"He was using me." She answered. "He was only interested in seeing me again once I'd mentioned John."

"John?" Trina frowned. "What's he got to do with it?"

"I don't know." Gwen shrugged. "Bastard Torchwood. Who do they think they are anyway?" The door opened to reveal John standing in the doorway. Gwen quickly wiped her tears away and looked up at him. "Sorry, is everything alright with the children? Are they eating their lunches?"

"Yes, everything's fine." John nodded. "Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing, but did you just say 'Torchwood'?"

"Yes, why? Do you know them?" Gwen asked.

"I know their leader. Captain Jack Harkness." John nodded. "Listen Gwen, you have to stay away from them, they're dangerous. They manipulate people into telling them things and then they drug you afterwards so you forget. They are not good people. Why do you think no one likes them?"

"I just thought it was because they barged in wherever they liked and acted like they own the place." Gwen shrugged.

"Partly yes." John nodded. "Tell me Gwen, how do you know them?"

"They showed up here with some story about how they'd lost something and they thought it was here." She explained. "They said it was unsafe."

"But tell me, before they came here, did you notice anything strange or unsafe?" He asked.

"No." She answered. "Everything looked fine to me."

"Did you ever think that maybe there wasn't anything unsafe here? Maybe they've put something here and now it's unsafe." John suggested.

"I...I don't know..." Gwen said. "I guess we can ask them soon, they'll be here in a minute."

"Why? Why are they coming?" He demanded.

"The Captain wants to see you." Gwen told him. "I don't know why."

"I do." John told her. "He knows I'm onto them. I've dealt with them before and they're coming to make sure I don't tell you about them."

"What...what do you mean?" She frowned.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Of course I do. I know you're one hundred percent safe, the board even told me that." Gwen told him.

"Don't trust them Gwen. Don't listen to anything they say. They'll try and get into your mind but don't let them." He said. "Gwen...this is going to sound crazy but...they don't tell anyone what they do because...they say they fight aliens and alien threats."

Gwen and Trina glanced at each other before bursting into laughter.

"You're kidding me?" Trina laughed. "Aliens?"

John shrugged and nodded.

"I know, they're crazy." He said. "But they're clever and they're dangerous. Remember that."

Their laughter stopped and they looked at him, suddenly serious as they nodded. John turned and left the room, a smug smirk plastered on his face.

About an hour later while the children were out in the playground for afternoon play, the familiar black SUV pulled up. Gwen walked over to meet them at the gates, her arms folded across her chest and her face set in a stony expression. She glanced at Owen before completely ignoring him.

"If you don't mind, we'd like to speak to John." Jack told her.

"He's inside tidying up." She told him. "I'll go get him, you can go wait in my office. I trust you remember where it is." Without waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and headed back into the building. "John, they're here."

John straightened up from where he was bent over the sand pit and nodded.

"Alright." He said. "Are you sure you want to stay and witness this? It could get ugly."

"I'm sure." She nodded.

He followed her to her office, now a little crowded with four extra people inside. She saw Jack's shocked expression when they entered.

"You." He gasped. "I hoped it was a coincidence, someone else with the same name."

"We meet again Captain." John smirked.

"What are you doing here?" Jack demanded.

"I'm helping Miss Cooper out while her staff recover from their illnesses." He answered simply.

"Cut the crap. Tell me the truth. What are you doing here?" Jack growled.

"Excuse me, don't talk to my staff like that." Gwen interrupted. "I'll throw you out if you don't treat them with respect."

"This man doesn't deserve respect." Jack told her. "He's a con man. He's killed innocent people."

John just smirked as he put his hands in his pockets. Gwen shook her head and laughed incredulously.

"If John had killed people, I'd know about it." She said. "I've checked with the board, he's perfectly safe. Do you think I'd let some mad man around these children?"

"He's not who he says he is. Trust me." Jack argued.

"Why would I trust a man who thinks he fights aliens for a living?" Gwen asked.

The team glanced at each other before looking back at her.

"Who told you that?" Jack asked.

"I did." John answered. "That is after all, what you do isn't it?"

Jack ignored him and turned to Gwen.

"I know you find this hard to believe but it's true. There's a rift in time and space above Cardiff and we control what comes through it. Sometimes it's an alien, sometimes it's alien technology others it's just space debris. We protect the human race by getting rid of or harnessing anything dangerous that comes through. Like him. He's a Time Agent and a con man." Jack explained. "You have to believe us."

"Why? Why should I believe you?" Gwen demanded.

"Because if you don't, these children are in danger." Jack told her. He finally turned back to John and glared at him. "What do you want here?"

John stayed silent as he continued to smirk at Jack. Gwen glanced between them, frowning slightly as John just stood there. She stared at him suspiciously and glanced at Owen when she felt him staring. She quickly looked away and cleared her throat.

"Well, you got what you wanted. You've met John. Now if you don't mind leaving." She said.

Jack saw the doubt in her eyes as she glanced at John again and nodded.

"Thank you for your time." He said. As he passed John, he stared him down. "I'll be watching closely."

Gwen followed them out until she reached the classroom. She stood at the window and watched them get back into their car. Owen turned at the last minute, meeting her gaze. She closed her eyes and turned away, swallowing down the tears she felt building up again after seeing him. She jumped as she realised John was standing right behind her. Her expression must have been of something that would be of concern to him as he shifted uncomfortably.

"John, what was the name of the last place you worked at?" She asked.

"It was some primary school in London. I forget the name. I was there for a few months before I came here." Gwen nodded and watched him. "What? You don't actually believe them do you?" He laughed.

She stared at him for a few seconds before smiling and shaking her head.

"Of course not." She answered.

"Good. You had me worried there for a second." He told her.

"Couldn't bring the kids back in could you?" She asked.

He nodded and left. Gwen eyed his back suspiciously as he went and tilted her head slightly to the side as she went through things in her head.

As a police officer, she'd been trained to look for anything suspicious in a suspects body language. In her office, John's had been confident but he seemed a little tense too, especially just now. It was like he did have something to hide and he was worried she'd find out. Also, he said he'd 'forgotten' the name of the school he'd last worked at, a little too convenient for her liking.

She tried to act normal around him but she couldn't stop casting glances at him out of the corner of her eye.

When she got home that evening, she picked up the phone and dialled the school board again, praying there would still be someone there. Luckily, someone answered.

"Hello, I'm sorry you've caught us at a bad time. We're just about to close." A female voice told her.

"Please, this won't take long." Gwen said quickly. "I just wanted to check something with you. My name's Gwen Cooper and I'm from Rainbow Day Nursery, I called in on Friday. Could you check that for me?"

There was a couple of seconds of silence where Gwen heard the tapping of keys on a keyboard.

"No I'm sorry. We have no record of anyone calling in on Friday with that name." The voice informed her.

"Oh right. Well could you just check something else while I'm on the line?" She asked.

"Yes ok." The woman answered.

"A John Hart was supposed to have been sent by you on Friday to help us out while we're understaffed. Could you confirm whether that's true or not please?" Gwen said.

"I can tell you without checking that we don't do that kind of thing." The woman told her.

"Well, is there a John Hart on record for working at any school? One in London perhaps?" She asked.

She heard typing again and waited.

"No, there isn't I'm sorry. We've never heard of anyone called John Hart." She answered. "And I can assure you we'd never send anyone trained or otherwise to a school that's understaffed, it's not our responsibility."

"Alright thank you for your help." Gwen replied and put the phone down.

She stared at it as her heart started to hammer. Who the hell had she just allowed to walk into her nursery?

She looked around for her mobile so she could call up the only person she could think of at the minute, when it rang. She was relieved to see it was the person she'd wanted to contact.

"Gwen, please don't hang up or anything." Owen's voice said quickly.

"Owen, I'm not going to." She said, her voice shaking.

"What's wrong? What's happened?" He demanded.

"Tell Jack he was right. I checked again and they have no idea who John is." She told him. "Owen I don't care if you're crazy and you think you fight aliens, I just need you to help me get rid of him."

"We will, don't worry. I'm on my way over anyway. There's something we want you to see." He said.

"Whatever. Just please get here quick. I think he knows I'm onto him and I'm scared." She admitted.

"I'll be there soon sweetheart. Don't panic." He told her. "Don't answer the door if you think it's him. I'll knock twice so you know it's me ok?"

"Ok." She said and put the phone down.

She went over to the window to watch for Owen's car and kept her ears pricked for any noises somewhere else in her flat.

Two knocks sounded on the door and she jumped up to answer it. Owen walked in and looked around.

"Everything ok?" He asked, peering into every room.

"Yeah." She answered.

When he came to stand in front of her, he pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry Gwen." He whispered.

Gwen pushed him away and stepped back.

"Look, just because you were right about John, it doesn't mean I'm going to forgive you. It doesn't change the fact that you lied to me and made me think you felt the same about me." She told him.

"I didn't lie to you." He said. "Look, we'll talk about this later. There's something we need you to see."

He drove her towards the bay and parked. She frowned as he got out and waited for her to do the same.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he started walking towards the Millennium Centre. He stood in front of the water tower and held out his hand for her. Glancing at his hand, she ignored it and stood beside him. "This is where I saw you disappear. What's going on?"

"Just trust me." He said and added quickly when she was about to argue. "I know. You're finding it hard to trust me right now but I promise you will. Tonight, you're going to find out the truth."

"The truth about what?" She frowned.

"The truth..." The paving stone they were standing on suddenly moved and started to go down. Gwen gasped and grabbed his arm. Her eyes widened as they were lowered down into some sort of base. "About Torchwood."

She looked up and saw another stone slotting into the space the stone they were standing on had made.

As they reached the bottom, something screeched and flew over their heads. Gwen screamed and cowered into him.

"What the hell was that?" She gasped.

"It's alright, it's just the pterodactyl. She won't hurt you I promise." He told her.

Gwen let go of him quickly as he stepped off the stone.

"But...they're extinct." She protested.

"Supposedly." He nodded.

"What do you mean 'supposedly'? They are." She frowned.

"Well, that one isn't." He shrugged. "Anyway, come and meet the team properly." Gwen took in her surroundings, suddenly feeling very small as she followed Owen over to some computers. Jack was standing in the doorway of what looked like his office behind him. The Japanese woman was sat at one of the computers and the other man was standing beside her. "Gwen, you know Jack. This is Toshiko and Ianto. You've seen them at the nursery."

Gwen nodded as they smiled at her.

"Yeah, I remember." She said. "Listen, no offence but aren't you all a little old to believe in things like aliens and stuff?"

"Owen, why don't you take our guest on a little tour?" Jack suggested.

Owen nodded and started to walk away. He stopped and turned when he realised Gwen wasn't following.

"Coming?" He asked.

She glanced at the others before following him.

"So when you said big secret underground lair, you weren't lying." She said.

"I told you I was telling the truth. You just chose not to believe me." He shrugged. "So...these are our cells. Want to meet some of our residents?"

He led her over to the furthest cell and stood back as she neared the glass door. Her eyes widened as she looked in and spotted the creature curled up in a corner.

"What is that?" She asked.

"It's a Weevil." He told her. "They usually live in the sewers but sometimes they come out and we have to go round them up before they hurt anyone."

"And it's...alien?" She whispered.

"Yep." He nodded.

"Why is it so...it looks sad." She said, getting closer to the glass and kneeling down.

"It's sedated. Trust me, they're not usually this quiet. A bite from one of these could rip your arm off." He told her.

Gwen stood up and turned her back on the Weevil. She looked at him before looking down at her hands clasped in front of her.

"You were telling the truth about John. You told me the truth about this place and...aliens." She said. She looked back up at him and stared into his eyes. "What else were you telling the truth about?"

"Well...we do have cameras pretty much everywhere around this place. I can show you if you like." He said. She laughed and shook her head at him. "And I wasn't lying when I said I have...feelings for you."

"Really?" She asked hopefully.

He stepped up to stand right in front of her and cupped her face in his hands.

"Yes." He answered. "I haven't known you very long but there's...there's something about you Gwen Cooper. I can't get you out of my head." His hands moved to her waist. "It's like...I can't concentrate when you're not around because I'm constantly thinking about you. Even when you're around sometimes, I just can't focus. That day at the nursery when you were on the chair...wow. Nice arse by the way."

She giggled and blushed a deep shade of red.

"Thanks...I think." She laughed.

"So...do you forgive me?" He asked. Gwen looked to the side and pretended to think about it before leaning up and kissing him. "I take that as a yes."

"Yes." She nodded. The Weevil growled behind them and Gwen turned to look at it. It's top lip was bared over it's teeth as it hissed at them. She clutched at Owen tightly. "It is safe to be here isn't it?"

"It's alright, it can't get out. The doors are locked." He reassured her. "I wouldn't have brought you down here if it wasn't safe. I promise."

"I trust you." She nodded. "But...can we please get out of here?"

"Ok." He laughed. "Do you want to see my lab?"

"Is that some kind of innuendo?" She asked.

"No." He chuckled. "I told you, I'm a doctor. Do you want to see where I work?"

"Yeah, alright then." She answered. "So, what kind of patients do you treat here anyway? I mean, do you treat aliens for a broken leg?"

"No, my patients are sort of...dead most of the time." He told her. "Most of the time it's just autopsies. I can help identify new alien species or sometimes ones we know about die and it's my job to find out why."

"This...it's all mad. Did you just wake up one day and think, this is what I want to do?" She asked.

"It's...a long story actually. I promise I'll tell you someday just...not right now." He said.

As he led her to the autopsy room, they passed Ianto who smiled at her and nodded his head.

"Enjoying the tour?" Ianto asked.

"It's...unbelievable." She answered.

Owen led her out onto the balcony overlooking the small room. He walked down the steps and turned to her.

"Well, this is it." Owen said.

"Very impressive." She smiled.

Jack joined her on the balcony.

"Owen gets very territorial about this little spot." Jack told her. "God help us if someone puts something back in the wrong place."

"Yeah well if I'm doing an autopsy, I like to know where everything is. It gets annoying when I have to spend half an hour trying to find something." He said defensively.

"Shame you don't have that attitude about your workstation or the rest of the Hub." Jack commented.

Owen rolled his eyes as he walked back up the steps to join them.

"Jack, you might want to come and see this." Toshiko called from her computer.

Jack walked out with Owen and Gwen following.

On Tosh's computer screen was the CCTV footage from near the water tower.

"Is this how you knew I was there?" Gwen asked. The three team members nodded. She frowned as she looked closely at the footage. "Is that – that's John. What's he doing here?"

"I don't know but maybe we're about to find out." Jack said as he grabbed his coat and ran out of the huge rolling door.

Gwen stared after him, watching the door roll back into place and the gate closing itself.

"Freaked out yet?" Owen asked.

"A little." She nodded honestly.

"I can freak you out even more and take you down to the morgue if you like." He grinned.

"You have a morgue?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Oh yeah." He nodded. "There's all sorts of alien bodies down there and some human."

Gwen's mouth dropped open and she took a slight step back.

"Owen, stop freaking the poor girl out." Tosh sighed.

"Fine. Spoil sport." He mumbled.

"Jack's with John now." Tosh announced.

Everyone watched the screen closely as Captain Jack stepped up towards John.

"Tosh, can we get sound on this?" Owen asked.

"If Jack has his comms." She nodded.

She typed something on the keyboard and then they all heard Jack's voice.

Ianto joined them, handing them each a cup of coffee. Gwen smiled at him as he passed her a cup.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jack demanded.

"I came to see you." John answered.

"Cut the crap. What are you doing here and why have you taken a job at a nursery?" Jack asked.

"Alright, I'll be honest with you." He shrugged. "I need you to build something for me." They watched as John handed him a piece of paper. "I haven't got the resources but I know your pretty little team have."

"We're not building you this." Jack told him. "Why would I build you something that could kill people?"

"Because I need it." John shrugged.

"And you think we're going to just give it to you?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Yes." John nodded. "You see, that's where my job at the nursery comes in. I knew you'd say no so I sent through a little virus, made most of the staff ill. Nothing that'll kill them, just make them ill. I swoop in, pick up a job. The thing is, I really can't stand kids." Gwen glared at the screen and folded her arms across her chest. "So, if you don't make this for me – boom – bye bye kiddies."

"Oh my God." Gwen gasped.

"Why them? Why threaten innocent children?" Jack demanded.

"Because they are innocent. If I threaten normal people or even your team, there's still a risk you'd say no. But not even Captain Jack could stand by and watch dozens of innocent children die." John told him.

"Oh really?" Jack asked, though there was a hint of resignation in his voice.

"Really." John nodded. "Especially with Miss Cooper working there too." He turned to look straight at the CCTV camera. "How are you by the way?"

Tosh, Owen and Ianto turned to look at Gwen as she took a step back from the computer.

"What makes you think Gwen's here?" Jack asked.

"Oh come on, I knew she was onto me the minute you walked into the building." John sighed. "I knew you'd bring her here, make sure she's safe, make sure I didn't hurt her."

"What's Gwen got to do with all this?" The Captain shouted.

"I know one of your team mates would do anything to keep her safe." John told him and turned back to face the camera. "Isn't that right Mr Harper?"

Gwen glanced at Owen who stared right back and into her eyes. He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers.

"Yes." Owen nodded, though he knew John couldn't see or hear him.

She took a shaky breath as she tightened her grip on his hand. The moment was broken by Jack's voice.

"Tell me what you need it for." Jack demanded.

"It's not for me exactly. A friend of mine asked me to get it for him as a favour." John told him.

"Since when did you do anyone a favour?" Jack asked. John shrugged. "What's in this for you?"

"A lot of money my friend." John answered.

"When did you start caring about money?" He laughed.

"Look, just build the damn thing will you." John snapped.

"Only if you promise me this thing will not be used against this planet." Jack replied.

"It's not me you want to be bargaining with. I'm only the messenger, if that's what you want to call me." He said.

"Well then you'd better warn him that he's dealing with Captain Jack Harkness." Jack told him.

"So you'll build it?" John asked.

"I don't have a choice." Jack replied. "I will not let you hurt anyone."

"Good. I need it finished by Friday." He told Jack.

"It'll be finished when we're ready." Jack growled.

Jack turned away, his coat fanning out behind him as he stormed back into the Hub. The rolling door opened again as he sprinted in.

"Jack, what is it he's asked us to make?" Toshiko asked.

Jack tossed the paper in front of her onto the desk and they all leaned in to look at it. Tosh gasped as she looked down at the plans for a sonic modulator.

"I understand if you don't want to take part in this." Jack said gently.

"No, no it's fine." She mumbled. Jack placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she turned to give him a small smile. "Besides, none of you know what you're doing when it comes to building things like this."

Gwen just watched as the rest of the team chuckled softly. The Captain turned to Gwen and Owen.

"Owen, she's going to need protection against John. If he gets impatient or doesn't like how things are going, there's no telling what he'll do." Jack told him. "Get her something from the weapons store for now. Also, I think it's best if you come here after work and one of us will take you home at night and you call us if you need us during the night. I don't care what time it is, just call."

"I don't want him around the kids Jack." Gwen said firmly.

"We don't have a choice here." He replied.

Gwen glared at him as Owen led her away to the weapons store.

"Alright, it'll be a good idea if you carry one of these with you." Owen told her as he handed her one of the small guns.

She looked at it uncertainly before taking it.

"I can't take one of these into a nursery." She argued.

"Just keep it locked in your office and keep it hidden." He said. "But put it somewhere you can grab it quickly if you need to."

"I don't like this." She muttered. "I...I've never used one before."

"You were in the police." He laughed.

"Yes but...well...I was on the beat." She admitted.

"Fine. Come on, I'll take you down to do some target practice." He said. Gwen followed him down to a long tunnel shaped area with hundreds of targets in the shape of Weevils. He handed her some protective headphones and glasses. "Put these on."

She did as she was told and stood watching him as he loaded up a couple of guns. He wriggled his eyebrows as he twirled them around his fingers and put them down on the table.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" She smirked.

"Sort of." He nodded. "Anyway, take one of these – but carefully." He led her over to stand in the centre of the room, his own gun in hand. "Ok – this is sort of weird teaching a teacher. I've never taught anyone really so...don't laugh at my bad teaching skills." She giggled as he smiled at her. "Ok, so basically just turn to your side and bring up the gun nice and slow. Line it up then squeeze the trigger gently." He demonstrated what he meant and fired a shot straight through a Weevil's forehead. "Ok, your turn."

She stepped up hesitantly and tried to copy him. The bullet missed the target by miles and she bit her bottom lip as she looked at him.

"I can't do this." She sighed.

"Yes you can." He told her. "Look, I'll help you." He stood behind her and pulled her so her back was pressed against his chest. As he straightened her shoulders, she glanced at him over her shoulder and blushed. She turned back quickly to focus on the targets and took a deep breath. Owen's eyes travelled down the creamy white skin of her neck as he moved her hair out of the way. Gwen closed her eyes and tried to ignore his warm breath on her neck. His hand moved down her arm to slowly pull the gun up and she tried to regain focus. "Ok, when you're ready, pull the trigger."

She took a deep breath and fired. Her eyes widened as the bullet went straight through the Weevil's chest.

"It...I hit it." She gasped.

Owen laughed as he hugged her from behind. He couldn't help but press his lips to the base of her neck. Her head snapped around to look at him and she smiled shyly.

"Well done." He told her. "Now try it on your own."

She nodded and focused herself again.

When she fired this time, it hit the Weevil in the face. She gasped and turned back to Owen.

"Did you see that?" She grinned. She put the gun down on the table and threw her arms around his neck. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her back. Gwen took him by surprise as she caught his lips in a kiss. She giggled as she pulled away. "Sorry, I just..."

"Hey, I'm not complaining." He said and kissed her again. "Ok, let's try some more shots."

He helped her out with some more techniques with all different shapes and sizes of guns.

When they'd finished, she helped him put everything away and she couldn't stop smiling.

"That was...just...wow." She grinned.

"You're pretty good once you know how." He told her. He handed her the gun he'd given to her before and closed her fingers around it. "Please, take it and look after yourself. You only need to use it in an absolute emergency. Just please, take it for me. Let me know you're safe."

"Ok." She said. "I'll take it for you."

They went back up and joined the rest of the team by the workstations.

Gwen glanced around and spotted an empty desk away from the rest. It looked like no one had used it for a while and there was a sense of sadness around it.

Ianto saw her looking and stood beside her.

"That was Suzie's desk." He told her.

"What happened?" Gwen asked.

"She started acting strange and we found out why...it's a bit of a sad story so please don't ask me to go into details." He said. "Anyway, to sum it up, she couldn't take any more and she took her own life."

"I'm so sorry." Gwen whispered.

Ianto gave her a sad smile before turning to look at the desk.

"That's the thing with Torchwood. What we see, what we do...it can get a bit much." He sighed. "We can't tell anyone about what we do. It's been a bit of a relief to us all to tell someone new our secrets. Gwen, you can't tell anyone what you've seen or heard about us."

"I won't, I promise." She said.

He smiled and walked away.

Owen had an autopsy to perform so Gwen sat on the steps of the autopsy room to watch him. She couldn't look at the body of some poor alien being cut open, so she kept her eyes focused on him. She admired the way his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he concentrated. He mumbled to himself as he worked, listing the things he'd found. The white lab coat he wore clung to his form as he bent over the body. She found her face flushing as her eyes wandered over him.

He glanced up at her when he felt her watching.

"It's very hard to concentrate when you're watching me like that." He said.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"No, it's fine." He told her. "Here, if you're going to just sit there, you might as well make yourself useful."

Gwen smiled as he repeated what she'd said to him when they first met.

She grabbed onto the railings and pulled herself up.

"What can I do to help Doctor Harper?" She asked.

Owen's hand gripped the scalpel he was holding as she walked over to him. He could have sworn she was swaying her hips more than usual.

"If – if you could just pass me that – that please." He stammered as he pointed at one of the silver instruments on the tray.

"This?" She asked as she held up the surgical scissors.

He nodded and she passed them to him, taking care to brush her hand against his gloved one. Owen cleared his throat and turned back to the body.

"Thank you." He said.

"You're very welcome." She smiled.

She leant against the wall and smirked at him. He couldn't concentrate under her gaze so he gave up trying. Owen threw the instruments back onto the tray and peeled off his gloves. Gwen's eyes widened as he walked towards her, a predatory look in his eyes. He stood in front of her and grabbed her hips. The Captain walked out onto the balcony just as he was about to crush his lips onto hers.

"Gwen, I think it's safe for you to go home now." He said.

"Oh...right. Ok." She nodded, pushing Owen away from her.

"I'll take her." Owen told him.

"Actually, Ianto will take her. There's something I want to talk to you about." Jack said.

"What is it?" He frowned.

"I think you know." Jack answered.

Gwen looked between the two of them in confusion. She saw the colour drain from Owen's face as he stared up at his Captain.

"Please Jack. Don't." He said quietly.

"We'll talk in my office." Jack said firmly. "Gwen, Ianto's waiting for you."

Gwen nodded and watched him walk away. Owen was looking away from her, staring sadly at the floor.

"Owen?" Gwen asked.

"I'll come to the nursery tomorrow when it's closing time. I'll help you tidy up then I'll bring you back here." He said, still not looking at her.

"Oh...thanks." She said. "I'll...see you tomorrow then..."

She turned to walk up the steps when Owen grabbed her arm to stop her. He pulled her into a tight hug against his chest and buried his face in her hair. Owen pulled back and kissed her deeply.

Something about the way he held her frightened her slightly. It was as if he was saying goodbye forever not just for tonight.

He smiled as they resurfaced but it didn't reach his eyes.

"See you tomorrow." He said.

She nodded and left the autopsy room with him following behind. As she went to catch up with Ianto, she heard him go into Jack's office behind her.

"You know it has to happen eventually." Jack told him gently.

"Jack, please. Just this once can't we just -" Owen's protest was cut off from her as the door clicked shut behind him.

"What's going on?" She asked Ianto as she followed him to the SUV.

"It's nothing." Ianto answered.

"It didn't sound like nothing." She frowned.

"Sorry, you'll have to direct me to your place. The Sat Nav's not working at the minute." Ianto said, quickly changing the subject.

Gwen watched him suspiciously as they climbed into the car. There was no chance of bringing the subject up again as she had to give him directions to her flat.

Once he'd pulled up outside, she sighed and climbed out.

"Thanks Ianto." She said.

"See you tomorrow." He replied.

Gwen waved him off and let herself into her flat.

She walked into the nursery the next morning, the gun laying heavily in her bag. She unlocked her office and dropped her things off. In a few minutes, the rest of the staff would be arriving.

Gwen usually took these minutes by herself to wander around and look at all the things the children had painted and made and smile as she remembered watching them complete them. This morning however, she sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She couldn't believe how things had changed so quickly.

Her phone vibrated in her jacket pocket and she pulled it out. It was a text from Owen.

"_Be careful and I'll  
>see you later.<br>xxx"_

She text back her reply and put her phone away.

"_I will. See you later.  
>xxx"<em>

She heard the main door open and she prayed John wouldn't be the first one to arrive. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as footsteps drew closer to her office. The door opened and she breathed a sigh of relief as Trina smiled round at her.

"You alright?" Trina asked.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I thought you were...come in, close the door." Trina frowned as she did as Gwen asked. "Look, they were right about John. He's not who he says he is and he's dangerous. I can't explain everything, just be careful around him."

"I don't understand." Trina frowned.

"I know, I'm sorry I just...can't tell you." Gwen sighed. "Just...don't trust a word he says."

"Alright." Trina nodded, though she still had a look of confusion on her face.

They were setting up some of activities for the children, when John entered the building. Gwen straightened up and glared at him as he smirked right back.

"Good morning ladies." He said.

Gwen just continued to glare as he walked past them and started to help get things ready.

For the rest of the day, she tried to ignore him as much as possible without the children picking up on it.

The day passed by quickly and soon it was time for the children to go home. Ruby's mum had called to say she was going to be a little late but she was on her way. The little girl was sitting at a table, chatting away to Gwen while she tidied away.

"Did you put my picture on the wall Miss Cooper?" She asked.

"I did. It's on the wall in my office at home." Gwen smiled. "It's beautiful."

"I can paint you another one when I get home. My mummy bought me some new paints." She told her.

"Oh that would be brilliant." Gwen replied.

The door opened and Gwen turned to see Owen walking towards her. She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. He went to kiss her but she pushed him away quickly, glancing at the small girl watching them curiously.

"Miss Cooper, you said he wasn't your boyfriend." Ruby frowned.

"Well Ruby, Miss Cooper and I were just friends but we've become very close." Owen told her.

Ruby smiled shyly as he addressed her.

"You remembered her name." Gwen said quietly.

Owen shrugged as he walked over to the little girl.

"What are you dong here still?" Owen asked her gently as he knelt down beside her.

"My mummy's late." She answered shyly.

"Oh dear. Well while we wait, why don't we play for a bit longer?" He suggested.

"Yeah." Ruby nodded excitedly. "Can we play with the dolls?"

He glanced at Gwen before nodding.

"Alright." He said.

Ruby hopped off her chair and grabbed his hand, pulling him over to the dolls.

"You'd better tidy those up after Mr Harper." Gwen warned. "I just did it myself."

"I will." He told her.

Gwen smiled and went back to tidying the rest of the nursery. Trina was bringing in the little bikes from the playground when she spotted Owen. She raised an eyebrow when she looked back at Gwen.

"I take it things are ok now." She said.

"Yeah, it was all a misunderstanding." Gwen told her.

"I tell you something, he's a natural with the kids." Trina commented as she stood with Gwen and watched him.

"With the one child." Gwen corrected. "He was scared stiff when they were all together. If there's just the one, I think he's ok."

"Scared stiff eh?" Trina winked. Gwen nudged her friend and shook her head. "So did you two...make up."

"That, is none of your business." Gwen told her. "But...no. It's only the early stages of our relationship, you know? I don't want to mess things up this time."

Trina rolled her eyes and carried on with her job.

John appeared from the kitchen area and Owen stared over at him.

"Your escort's here." John smirked. "God, you people don't trust me at all. I said I'd only do something if this thing isn't built."

"John, we'll finish up here. You just go." Gwen said.

John left, Trina soon after. Gwen joined Owen and Ruby as they played with the dolls.

Her mum came by, smiling apologetically.

"I'm so sorry, I got held up at the office." She told them.

"Oh it's fine. Don't worry about it." Gwen said. "She's been an angel."

Ruby ran up to her mum and hugged her legs. She scooped her up into her arms and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks so much for looking after her this late." She said. "Oh...are you new?"

Ruby's mum held out a hand to Owen and he shook it.

"No, I'm just here to help Miss Cooper out." He answered.

"Oh right." She smiled. "Well thanks again and we'll see you tomorrow. Say goodbye Ruby."

"Goodbye Miss Cooper." She called. "Bye Miss Cooper's boyfriend."

Gwen blushed as Ruby's mum grinned at them.

"Bye Ruby." Gwen called as they left.

"Well, all the mum's tongues will be wagging in the playground tomorrow." Owen laughed.

"Yes I suppose they will." Gwen nodded. "Now where's that hello kiss?" He grinned and pulled her into a kiss. She sighed into it and wrapped her arms around his neck. She thought everything was fine until he gripped her tighter and that feeling she'd got last night returned. "Owen, is everything ok? There seems to be something on your mind. Is it what Jack said last night?"

"Yeah it's..." His voice trailed off as he looked into her eyes. "Don't worry about it."

"What's wrong? Tell me." She said.

"It doesn't matter. It's...it's going to be a sort of ongoing argument between me and Jack." He told her. "But don't worry, everything's going to be fine. Gwen...I want to tell you something while I still have the chance."

"What?" She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean – because well, everyone's going to be at the Hub and there'll be no privacy." He said quickly. "Anyway, what I want to say is...I love you Gwen Cooper."

She stared at him in shock as she processed what he'd just said. Bringing a hand up to cup his face, she smiled and ran a thumb across his cheek.

"I love you too." She told him.

He kissed her and leant his forehead against hers.

"I will never forget this moment." He said.

"Me neither." Gwen smiled.

Owen looked away and started to walk out of the nursery. As she followed, she thought she heard him mumble under his breath.

"I hope not." He mumbled.

He took her to the Hub, stopping off to get a pizza on the way.

She sat back on the little sofa after eating her fill when Jack walked through the door shoving a young girl in front of him. Gwen gasped and sat up. The girl's hands were cuffed in front of her and she was sobbing. She looked perfectly normal until the light hit her in a certain way and purple scales would glisten on the surface of her skin in the light.

Jack shoved her towards a room Gwen hadn't seen yet.

"Where's he taking her?" Gwen asked.

"Interrogation room." Tosh answered as she worked on the sonic modulator. "If you want to watch, the window's just over there."

Tosh pointed in the direction she meant, without looking up from her work and Gwen quickly got up to take a look. Ianto was already at the window watching. She folded her arms as she watched Jack push her into a chair. He walked to the other side of the table and leant forwards on his hands.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" He demanded. The girl whimpered and tried to cower away from him. He strode to stand in front of her and bent down so he was almost in her face. "Answer me."

"What the hell is he doing?" Gwen gasped.

"Jack's a little tense right now." Ianto told her. "And this is how he deals with new species. We don't know what she's going to do."

"She's just a child for God's sake." Gwen argued as she ran down to the interrogation room. "Jack, what are you doing? Leave her alone."

"She could be dangerous." Jack told her.

"Can't you see she's scared stiff?" Gwen shouted. "Does she look like she's capable of hurting anyone?"

Gwen slowly walked towards the girl and knelt down beside her.

"Gwen, get away from her. Let me deal with this." He ordered.

"No." She replied. She reached a hand out to touch the girl's arm. The girl flinched away and squeezed her eyes shut as if waiting for Gwen to hurt her. "Hey, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Gwen." The girl peeked out at Gwen through her long, curly blonde hair. "It's ok. I don't mean you any harm. Can you tell me your name?" Jack took a step back and his expression turned thoughtful as he watched Gwen with the girl. "Do you understand?"

The girl nodded and straightened a little in her chair.

"I understand." She answered quietly.

"Can you tell me your name?" Gwen repeated.

"Sophia." She answered.

"Why are you here Sophia?" She asked gently.

"I'm lost." Sophia whispered, starting to sob again. "I never wanted to come here."

"Hey, it's ok." Gwen soothed and pulled up the other chair to sit next to her. She put her arm around Sophia and ran her hand up and down her arm. "What happened?"

"I was at home with my family." She answered. "I...I don't know. There was a light, lots of light and I...I came here."

"She fell through the rift." Jack whispered. "But she could still be dangerous."

"No." Sophia protested. "My people are peaceful. I swear I wouldn't harm anyone."

"It's alright darling. We believe you, don't we Jack?" Gwen said as she turned to glare at Jack.

"Sophia, I'm sorry." Jack said. "I didn't know."

"Well if you'd have asked her properly instead of throwing her around the place and shouting in her face, she would have told you." Gwen snapped. "Everyone has feelings Jack, no matter who they might be."

Jack looked like he'd just been hit in the face.

He watched Gwen comforting the frightened girl and felt guilt flood through him. Maybe he was dealing with other species in the wrong way. Like Gwen had said, they had feelings too. Ok, he couldn't sit with a dangerous alien like this, but he didn't have to treat them as badly as he did.

"Sophia, we're going to get you home. I promise." Jack told her.

"Can you do that?" Gwen asked.

"I can try." Jack nodded.

"I could get home myself." Sophia said, holding up a bracelet. It was made of a highly polished metal and looked as if it had been made into strands and twisted together. "It's how we travel on my planet. But when I landed here, it broke."

Gwen saw that there was meant to be something else on the bracelet but it had been snapped off.

"Do you have the other piece?" Gwen asked.

"Yes but it's no use if it's not attached to the bracelet." Sophia told her.

She pulled an intricately shaped rose made of the same metal as the bracelet out of her pocket.

"It's beautiful." Gwen gasped.

"Everyone has their own unique charm. It's so that no one can steal it and try to use it. It wouldn't work for anyone but the owner anyway. They're made for you at birth and they grow with you." Sophia explained.

"We can fix it for you." Jack told her. He stepped up to her and unlocked the handcuffs. He held out his hand for her to take and smiled reassuringly. "Come with me. I know the perfect person to fix your bracelet." She smiled as she took his hand and let him lead her out up to the workstations. Gwen followed them with a small smile on her face. "Tosh, I need you to fix something."

"What now?" Tosh snapped. "Can't you see I'm busy building this thing?"

"It's just a bit of soldering to stick something back together." Jack said quickly.

"Let me see it." Tosh sighed. Jack gestured for Sophia to hand her the bracelet and charm. Tosh looked at it from all angles and nodded. "I've seen this kind of metal before. Here, all you have to do is -" She held the pieces together and they clicked back into place. "That." She handed it back to Sophia and smiled. It looked as if it had never been broken. "Self-repairing metal."

"I...I didn't know." Sophia said. "They never told us about this. Thank you."

"No problem." Tosh shrugged.

Sophia put the bracelet on and turned to Gwen. She took the other woman's hands in hers and smiled.

"Thank you for your kindness." She said. "I will not forget it." Sophia let go and turned to Jack. "I forgive you."

"Thank you and I can't tell you how sorry I am for...treating you like that." Jack said.

Sophia smiled as she stepped into a clear area. She brought her hands together in front of her. The bracelet started to glow and encased both her hands in a bubble of purple light. She spread her hands out causing the bubble to grow until she was inside. Then she was gone.

"Wow. Impressive." Tosh said. "Now can I get back to work?"

Jack laughed at her and patted her back. He turned to Gwen and took her to the side.

"Good job back there." He told her.

"Sorry, I know it wasn't my place to get involved but...she was just a child." Gwen said.

"I know." Jack nodded. "You were right. Everyone has feelings. I've seen so much death and destruction, I've forgotten all of that. Thank you for reminding me."

Owen walked past and spotted them talking.

"Jack, what are you -"

"It's ok Owen." Jack interrupted. "Come and have another talk in my office."

"Jack, I'm not interested." Owen argued. "I'm not changing my mind about it."

"Trust me Owen, you'll want to hear this." He said and walked into his office.

Owen rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I'll be right back." Owen said to her.

When Owen walked out of Jack's office, he looked slightly confused but also very happy. He joined Gwen, who had sat back on the little sofa, and took a seat next to her.

"Is everything ok?" She asked.

He held her hand in both of his and smiled at her.

"It's fine." He told her. "It's absolutely fine."

"Are you going to tell me?" She laughed.

"Not yet." He answered. "I will do, I promise. As soon as this is over."

"Ok..." She frowned.

Jack walked back out of his office, shrugging on his long coat.

"Owen, I want that autopsy from last night finished." He ordered. "Tosh, I know it's a pain in the ass but if you could try and get as much of that done as you can, that would be great. Ianto...just do what you do best – well...second best." Jack winked at the Welshman before turning to Gwen. "And you, Gwen Cooper, are coming with me. It's my turn to take you home."

Gwen turned to Owen beside her and smiled.

"I'll see you soon. I love you." She told him.

He grabbed her and crushed his lips onto hers.

Whatever Gwen had been worrying about before was definitely gone now. So had her thoughts to be honest. Her mind was just one hazy blur as her lips moved in sync with his.

Jack cleared his throat and they jumped apart, both remembering they weren't alone.

"I love you too. See you soon." Owen smiled.

Gwen followed Jack out, her mind still in a haze.

Once outside her flat, she went to climb out of the SUV.

"Oh, Jack do you mind if I come straight home tomorrow? It's just, I've got work that hasn't been done." Gwen told him.

"Sure, I'll send someone over to check on you." He nodded. "Owen will probably volunteer himself."

Gwen giggled as she climbed out and shut the door. She waved and let herself into her flat.

She couldn't stop giggling as she wandered around her flat getting ready for bed. It was like she was drunk from one kiss.

As she lay on her bed, she heard Owen's voice in her head over and over again telling her he loved her. She hugged her pillow and drifted off to sleep.

The next evening, Gwen was sat at her desk on her laptop, typing up a newsletter for the nursery. It kept crashing and it hadn't recovered the work she'd done.

"Stupid thing." She shouted and hit the keyboard, pressing a dozen buttons at once and causing it to crash again.

Her phone vibrated and she picked it up to read the message from Owen.

"_I'm on my way. Be there  
>soon. Love you<br>xxx"_

She smiled and text her reply.

"_Alright see you soon.  
>Just come straight in,<br>door's open. Love you  
>too<br>xxx"_

Her laptop had restarted itself and luckily it had decided it would recover the work this time. She opened it up and carried on writing it.

Someone knocked on the front door and then opened it.

"Gwen." Owen's voice called.

"I'm in here." She shouted back.

He poked his head around the door and smiled.

"Hey, how's it going?" He asked as he walked over to kiss her.

"It'd go much better if this thing didn't keep crashing all the time." She sighed.

He sat in the chair on the other side of the desk and laughed. Gwen shot him an 'it's not funny' look and he quickly shut up.

As he watched her working, he noticed she was wearing a blouse – a very complimentary blouse, and a pencil skirt. Her legs were crossed and peeking out from the side of the desk. He checked to make sure she was concentrating on her work before letting his eyes travel up those marvellous legs. Every now and then she'd switch her legs over and flick her hair back.

"So, why are you all dressed up?" He asked.

"Some stupid inspection thing." Gwen answered. "They come every few months. To be honest, it was a bit of bad timing on their part but, oh well. Oh this stupid bloody thing." Her face turned red with rage as she banged a fist on the table. He noticed the colour didn't reach her neck or anywhere below that he could see. "Oh sorry I forgot, you can go make yourself a drink if you want."

"No, I'm alright for the minute." He said.

"You don't have to stay in here with me, you can go watch telly or whatever while I finish this." She told him.

"Don't worry about me. I've found a way of entertaining myself." He smirked.

Gwen blushed as she looked up and caught him looking.

It was difficult to concentrate once she knew he was watching her. She forced herself to focus again and grabbed her diary to check some dates for the newsletter. One of the dates was wrong in her diary so she found a pen and changed it. To free her hands so she could type, she put the pen between her lips. She absent-mindedly rolled it around with her tongue as she worked.

When she glanced up at Owen again, he was frozen to his seat and staring wide-eyed at her, his jaw clenched. Gwen smirked and slowly removed the pen from her mouth.

"You ok Owen?" She asked innocently. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the arms of the chair. She put the pen back in her mouth and twirled her tongue around it. She jumped when he stood up and walked over to her. He pulled her out of the chair and took the pen from her, throwing it to the floor. He kissed her deeply and pushed her back against the desk. She pulled away quickly. "Owen, I can't. I've got to finish this."

"Leave it. Finish it some other time." He whispered as he trailed kisses down her neck.

His fingers moved to the front of her blouse and started to undo the buttons.

"You're right. I'll finish it tomorrow." She said and pushed his jacket off his shoulders to the floor.

As their lips met in a fiery kiss, he lifted her onto the desk and let her blouse fall open. He took a few minutes to step back and look at her. She suddenly felt shy and went to cross her arms over her chest. He grabbed her wrists and put her arms by her side.

"Don't be shy." He told her. "You're beautiful." He kissed her gently and took her shirt off her. The kiss deepened as she gripped the bottom of his t-shirt and tugged it up. They broke apart for a second as she threw it over his head and then attacked each other's lips once again. "Hang on."

Owen pulled her off the desk and and took a step towards it.

"Wait." Gwen said quickly and grabbed her laptop to put it somewhere safe. "I know I hate the thing but I need it." She checked for any more breakable objects before letting him continue. "Go ahead."

He swept everything off the desk and grabbed her around the waist. She giggled as he lay her across it and slowly started to take off the rest of her clothes. Gwen pulled him up with her and made quick work of his clothes.

"Miss Cooper can I please have your permission to do all the naughty things I've been thinking about doing to you?" He asked.

"Since you asked so nicely..." She locked her legs around his waist. "You have my permission."

Owen let out a low growl as he attacked her neck and shoulders with his lips.

Gwen was still whispering his name as he collapsed on top of her. She wrapped her arms tighter around him and hugged him to her chest.

They lay there until the room cooled down. Owen glanced up at the clock and sighed.

"It's late. I should go." He told her.

As he climbed off the desk and started to find his clothes, Gwen jumped off after him and stopped him.

"No, don't go." She said. "Like you said it's late. It'd be stupid for you to go home at this time of night. Stay here."

"You want me to stay?" He asked.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Alright, I'll stay." He smiled.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"I'll show you to my room." She told him and took his hand. She led him to her bedroom and pushed him onto her bed. "Listen, I'll be back in a minute. I really have to get that letter finished."

"Really? Now?" He pouted.

"Yes." She answered and leant down to kiss him. "Get in and get some sleep ok. Do you want me to get you a drink?"

"I'll get some water. You go in and get that finished." He told her. "Don't be long."

"I'll be as quick as I can." She promised.

As she left the room, she grabbed her robe and slipped it on.

She grinned as she looked at her desk when she entered her office. She picked up all her things and put them back on the desk before grabbing her laptop. She heard Owen pad into the kitchen and pour himself a glass of water.

He opened the office door a few seconds later and put a glass on her desk.

"Just thought you might need a drink." He said.

"Oh thanks." She smiled. Owen waited in the doorway and she laughed at him. "Go to bed you."

"Fine." He sighed.

She giggled as he shuffled away back to her room.

It took her an hour to finish the newsletter and send it to herself so she could print it off at the nursery.

She closed the laptop down with a sigh of relief and went to join Owen in bed. She climbed in as quietly as she could so she didn't wake him. He rolled over and smiled at her.

"Hey, you're still awake." She whispered.

"Yeah." He replied. "Come here."

She lay beside him and captured his lips in a kiss. His arms slipped around her waist and pulled her closer into him. When his tongue trailed over her lips, she parted hers and tangled her tongue with his. Gwen rolled on top of him and sat up so she straddled his waist. She took off her robe and threw it to the side. Owen grinned as he placed his hands on her hips.

"Owen...what were you and Jack talking about the other day?" She asked.

"I told you, I'll tell you soon. He asked me not to tell you until this thing with John is over and everyone's less stressed." He told her.

"I don't mean about whatever it was that made you so happy, I mean the thing that got you all upset." She explained.

"If I tell you that, I have to tell you the other thing." He said.

"Please tell me." She pouted.

"I can't." He replied.

Gwen ground her hips against his causing him to groan loudly.

"Tell me." She said.

"Gwen, please." He begged.

She rocked her hips again and leant over to drag his earlobe through her teeth.

"Tell me." She breathed and ran her hands down his chest to where her hips were currently hovering.

"Alright." He growled. "Jack said, when it was all over we had to retcon you."

"What's retcon?" She asked.

He moved her hands away and pushed her off him so he could focus. He sighed and sat up.

"It's...it's a pill we give people to make them forget what they've seen. They can carry on their lives as normal and as if nothing happened and our job stays secret." Owen mumbled.

"But that's messing with people's minds." She argued. "You can't do that."

"You have to understand what it's like for us. If word gets out of how dangerous the world really is, do you realise how much panic and chaos there'd be?" He asked. "Would you want to live in a world where everyone is living in fear of what's prowling around in the sewers?"

"I guess not. I still don't agree with it though." She told him. "Hang on, you're going to retcon me? Did you agree to that?"

"No." Owen answered.

"When you came out of Jack's office yesterday all happy, was that because you'd persuaded Jack to give you more time to get me into bed? Did you just plan on having sex with me and then you'd let Jack retcon me?" She demanded. She jumped off the bed and grabbed her robe. Owen followed her out of the room as she stormed into her office and grabbed his clothes. She shoved them into his chest and stormed off. "Get out."

He followed her back into her room and dropped his clothes.

"I'm not going anywhere until you let me explain." He told her.

"Go ahead Owen, explain away – while you put your clothes back on and get the hell out." She shouted.

He walked over to her and grabbed her arms. He crushed his lips onto hers and pulled back to look at her. Gwen looked up into his eyes then away as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

"I love you." He said. "Jack said we had to retcon you but I...I wouldn't let him do it. I didn't want to lose you. I couldn't bare it if we walked past each other on the street and you had no idea who I was. I'd love someone who had no idea I even existed."

"Owen." She whispered. "I'll miss you so much. I love you and I always will."

"No Gwen, you don't understand." He said and knelt down in front of her. "Yesterday when Jack saw how you dealt with that girl, it made him realise that we've all...become like robots if you know what I mean. We've all hidden away our emotions because if we get scared we'll be seen as weak and after a few years, it becomes normal. You snapped Jack out of that – all of us to be honest – and we need someone like you. We need someone to remind us we are all human and everyone and everything out there has feelings."

"So what are you saying?" She asked.

"Jack's been watching you at the Hub. He's seen how this stuff doesn't freak you out as much as it does other people. We need you Gwen." He told her. "Jack's going to offer you a job at Torchwood." Gwen sat in stunned silence, her jaw dropping open. "What do you think?"

"A...a job...with Torchwood?" She whispered. "It would be...amazing." Owen grinned and took her hands in his. "But...that would mean leaving the nursery. I don't think I could. I've wanted to do this job for years, I quit my old job to chase after my dreams. Now I'm finally doing the job I love and I don't think I could ever...I don't know. I need time to think."

"I understand." Owen replied. "Take as long as you want and whatever you decide, I'll support you one hundred percent."

"If I say no and stay at the nursery...will I get retconned?" She asked.

"I don't know." Owen answered. "But I won't let it happen if you decide that's what you want. I know you won't tell and so does Jack deep down."

"If I say yes, I lose all the kids and my friends and the job I love. But if I say no, I risk losing you." She said. "I...I don't know if I can make that decision."

"You don't have to yet. You've got plenty of time to think this through." He said.

She nodded and gave him a small smile.

There were a few minutes of awkward silence as they wondered what to say next before Gwen broke it.

"You know, it's pretty hard to think when you're sitting in front of me completely naked." She told him.

He laughed and stood up.

"Well, I could cover up if it makes it easier." He shrugged and reached for his clothes.

"No." Gwen giggled and pulled him down onto the bed. "No don't do that."

"Why not?" He smirked as he lay on his back and pulled her on top of him.

"Because..." She smirked back. "Didn't you know I had a rule for this room? Yes, it says no clothes are to be worn in or around the bed area."

"Well you're breaking your own rule wearing that robe." He pointed out.

"Oh well I'd better take it off then hadn't I?" She replied.

Owen growled as she sat up and slipped it off. He flipped them over quickly and grabbed her thigh to wrap it around his waist. She pulled him down and kissed him fiercely, her hand locking into his hair as she used her other hand to trail a finger up and down his spine. Shivers went down his spine and he moaned into the kiss.

The sound of her alarm blaring out woke her up the next morning. She groaned into her pillow and felt around for it on her bedside table. Once she'd switched it off, she yawned and stretched.

Her hand fell on the duvet next to her and she jumped as she felt it moving slightly. She turned her head and saw the distinct shape of someone lying next to her. It took her a few moments to remember what happened last night and she breathed a sigh of relief as she realised it was Owen.

She leant up on her elbow to watch him sleeping and smiled. He looked so sweet with his hair all ruffled and she just couldn't bring herself to wake him.

She yawned and shrugged. What harm could five more minutes do? She lay back down beside him and fell to sleep.

She was woken up again when the room started shaking. When she opened her eyes, she realised it wasn't the room, it was Owen shaking her awake.

"Gwen, sweetie wake up." He whispered.

"Hey you." She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Gwen, you're late for work." He told her.

"No, I can't be." She mumbled, letting her eyes close again.

"It's eight o'clock." He replied.

"What?" She gasped, sitting up quickly to look at the clock. "But the nursery opens at eight. Oh shit."

She jumped out of bed, stumbling as the blood rushed to her head.

"I'll give you a lift to work, my car's faster." Owen said as he shoved his pants on.

Gwen ran around the flat grabbing all the stuff she needed with a burnt slice of toast in hand. She'd made them both a slice but forgot all about it as she rushed around, grabbing it at the last minute.

Owen nibbled his as he found his car keys and went to start the car as he waited for her to finish.

Finally at fifteen minutes to nine, she climbed in next to him. She brushed her hair as he drove her to the nursery.

"God I can't believe I'm late. I have never turned up late to the nursery before." She told him. "When I worked at the police station, I was late a few times but never this late." He pulled up outside the nursery and she threw off her seatbelt. She turned to peck him quickly on the lips before jumping out of the car. "See you later."

Owen spotted her bag still by her seat and went to call her back but she'd already disappeared inside. He cut off the engine and grabbed it as he climbed out.

Everyone turned to stare at him as he entered the building. John was standing by the door to the kitchens when he walked in. He smirked as Gwen came back out from her office and stared wide-eyed at Owen.

"You left your bag in the car." He told her.

She took it from him and glanced, red faced, at her staff and the children.

"Thanks." She mumbled. "I'll see you later."

"See you later." He said and left after shooting John a warning look.

Trina and Beth followed Gwen into her office as she went to put her bag away.

"What was going on there then?" Trina asked. "Spend the night at Prince Charming's did we?"

"No." Gwen answered with her back to them. "He...stayed at mine."

"Well tell us what happened then." Beth laughed.

"If anything did happen." Trina said. "She had him round for dinner and wouldn't go further than a kiss."

Gwen blushed and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, but what happened last night is private." Gwen told them.

"Meaning they did it." Trina told Beth. Gwen stared wide-eyed at them but couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips. "I told you. So what was it like?"

"I'm not discussing that, thank you very much. Now come on, back to work." She told them firmly.

"Yes boss." Beth sighed.

As they left the office, Trina and Beth went to join the children while Gwen hung back and leant against the wall, just watching. She smiled at little Bethan playing in the water tray, tipping water all down herself. She'd have to be changed into something dry soon. Gwen watched the rest of them, playing with the bricks and painting and reading stories to each other. Well, they had the books open but they were making up their own words to it. How could she leave all this behind? How could she leave the little angels she loved so much?

A girl named Lucy came up to her, rubbing her eyes and sucking her thumb. She held her arms up to Gwen who scooped her up into her arms and hugged her close as the little girl rested her head on her shoulder.

"Are you tired Lucy?" She asked gently. Lucy nodded and Gwen took her into the napping area. She lay her gently on one of the little air beds and tucked her in. "Would you like me to read you a story?"

The little girl was already asleep. Gwen smiled and went to sit in the chair in the corner. Someone always had to be in the room if any of the children came in for a nap.

She watched her sleeping as she thought again about what Owen had said to her. A job at Torchwood would be so exciting but she loved her job here. It was fun and she loved every minute of it.

The door opened and John walked in, his hands in his pockets.

"Thought I'd seen you come in here." John said.

Gwen glared at him as she shushed him.

"What do you want?" She demanded in a whisper.

"Time's ticking Gwen." He told her. "I'm getting impatient. Tell your little friends, if they don't have it finished soon, I will keep my promise." John looked over at Lucy sleeping. "Such a shame."

"Don't you dare harm any of these kids. Do what you want to me, just leave them alone." She said.

"I won't have to do anything if they hurry up and get it finished." He shrugged. Gwen jumped out of her seat and stormed over to him. She raised her hand to hit him across his face but he grabbed her wrist and held onto it tightly. "Miss Cooper, that's no way to behave in front of the children."

"She's asleep, she wouldn't see anything." Gwen hissed as she struggled to pull out of his grip.

"You're right. She wouldn't see a thing." John nodded. He whipped out a blade he had concealed at his side and pressed the cold metal to her cheek. "I suggest, you refrain from using violent behaviour because this could get nasty. You tell those friends of yours to get that thing finished and soon."

Gwen nodded, her eyes wide and her heart pounding against her chest. He put the blade away and let go of her hand. She dropped it to her side as he smirked at her.

"Get out." She growled.

He chuckled and left the room. Gwen glanced over at Lucy to check she was still asleep before sitting back in her chair. She held her face in her hands as she willed her heartbeat to return to normal. She sat back in the chair and stared into space.

A little hand tapped her knee some time later and she snapped out of it.

"Miss Cooper?" Lucy asked.

"Sorry Lucy." She smiled. "What's wrong?"

"I need to go toilet." She replied, dancing from one foot to the other.

Gwen quickly took her hand and led her to the toilets.

Owen came to pick her up at the end of the day. She sat staring out of the car window in silence as he drove her to the Hub.

"So...did you get that newsletter printed?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah I did." She nodded and went back to staring out of the window.

"Is everything ok?" He frowned.

"It's nothing." She told him. "Well it's...John's getting impatient."

"Did he do something to you? What did he do?" Owen demanded. "Because I swear, I'll kill him if he ever lays a finger on you."

"He didn't do anything." She lied. "He just...told me to tell you – well Tosh really seeing as she's the one building it – he wanted me to warn you all to hurry up."

"Well it's almost finished. He can have it soon and then get the hell out of our lives." Owen said. Gwen nodded silently. "Are you sure there's nothing else on your mind?"

"No...no, there's nothing." She lied again.

Owen gave her a look before pulling over and turning off the engine.

"Come on, tell me the truth." He said.

She sighed and reached for his hand.

"I've just...been thinking about what you said last night." She told him. "Does Jack know I know?"

"Yeah, I told him when I got to the Hub." Owen answered.

"And...did you ask him if he'd retcon me if I said no?" She asked.

"He doesn't know himself. He doesn't want to risk putting the team in danger but he doesn't want to hurt me." Owen told her.

"I wouldn't tell anybody." She said. "Who's going to believe me anyway?"

"I know you wouldn't." He replied. "So...what have you been thinking about it?"

"I still don't know. I was watching the kids today and I just thought...I could never leave them." She answered. Owen nodded and looked away sadly. "But...a job at Torchwood. It's just so exciting. There's so much I still have to learn about Earth and everything out there. I never thought there would be more to learn about my own planet. I mean, how many other aliens are living here that no one knows about?"

"You'd be surprised." He smiled.

"Exactly. I want to know more." She said. "I just...don't know what to do."

"Well you can take as long as you want to decide and I told you before, I'll support you whatever decision you make." He told her.

"I know." She smiled and kissed him.

Owen's phone rang and he grabbed it out of his jacket pocket.

"Jack." He answered.

"Owen, Tosh has finished the sonic modulator. Can Gwen get in touch with John to tell him?" Jack asked.

"I don't know, I can ask." Owen said. He turned to Gwen. "Is there a way you can get in touch with John?"

"No, he didn't give a contact number or anything. I don't even know where he's staying." Gwen told him. "I won't see him until tomorrow."

"Yeah Jack, there's no way." Owen said.

"No worries, I'll do it myself." Jack told him.

"Why did you ask then if you can do it yourself?" Owen frowned.

"Because I want minimum contact with this guy." Jack answered. "I don't want him getting ideas."

"Ok..." Owen said. "We'll be there in a few minutes. See you soon." He put the phone down and looked to Gwen. "Tosh has finished the device."

"John can leave?" She asked hopefully.

"Yep." Owen nodded.

Gwen breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes as she sat back in her seat.

"Thank God for that." She smiled.

"Well, it's not over yet. Not until we know he's took the device and gone." Owen pointed out.

He started the car again and drove to the Hub.

A tense atmosphere hit them as soon as they walked in. Jack was pacing around the workstation area with Ianto watching from the sofa and Tosh was rolling the device around in her hands, staring down at it.

"He'll be here soon." Jack told them.

Gwen noticed the computer screen with the CCTV footage near the water tower. They were obviously watching it and waiting for him to appear.

A figure came into view and she pointed to it.

"He's here." She said.

The whole team gathered around the computer screen to look before following Jack out of the huge rolling door. Gwen had used this entrance after her first day in the Hub. It still made her nervous every time she went through the doors. She felt they would close on her as she tried to get through so she always ran through them quickly. This time she took her time, not wanting to see John.

She gripped Owen's hand in hers tightly and took deep breaths.

"Wow, wasn't expecting the whole gang." John commented as they walked up to him. "Giving me a send off are we? How sweet."

"Just take it and get out of here." Jack spat.

Tosh held her hand out but John made no effort to take it from her.

"I want Gwen to give it to me." He said. Gwen glared at him as she took the device from Tosh and stepped forward. "Thank you my gorgeous colleague."

"Don't call me that." Gwen growled as she shoved it into his hand. "I'm not your anything."

"Don't be like that." He pouted. "I thought we made quite a team. No? Oh well." He looked over her shoulder at the rest of them. "I'd cover your ears if I were you."

"Don't you dare." Jack warned.

"I need to know if it works." He shrugged.

"It does work." Tosh told him.

"I'm not just going to take your word for it." He said.

Jack pulled out his gun and pointed it at John.

"You want to test it, you take it away from this planet." Jack ordered. "Or I will kill you."

John rolled his eyes as he grabbed his own gun and cocked it as he pointed it at Gwen.

"I'd shoot her quicker than you would me." John told him.

"Get away from her." Owen shouted.

"Owen, it's ok." Gwen said, jogging her bag and nodding slightly.

Owen nodded back but still watched with wide, frightened eyes.

"Like I said, cover you ears." John repeated.

John went to press the button but Jack's finger squeezed the trigger. John noticed and smirked, shaking his head. He went to pull the trigger on his own gun. Owen squeezed his eyes shut and jumped as a shot rang out and a shout of pain followed shortly. He opened his eyes slowly to see Gwen pointing a smoking gun at John. He let out the breath he'd been holding. Gwen had shot him in the arm, not where she'd aimed but she'd still hit him. John was clutching his arm, hissing in pain as she glared at him.

"Take the device and go back to whatever hole you crawled out of." She ordered in a dangerously calm tone.

John glared at her as he pressed a button on his wrist strap and disappeared.

Gwen dropped the gun to the floor and took a shaky breath. She'd never been so frightened in her life. She felt strong arms wrap around her and she fell into them, breathing in the familiar scent. She let out a few tears she'd been holding back since John had pointed the gun at her and clutched at Owen tightly.

"It's ok." He whispered. "You're ok. God you were amazing Gwen. You were so brave. My little action girl."

Gwen giggled through her tears and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I was so scared." She told him.

"I know but you did it." He said. "You sent him away."

She kissed him deeply, tightening her grip on him.

"Is it always like this? Risking your life like that every day?" She asked.

"Not every day but most of the time." He nodded.

Gwen looked away at a spot over his shoulder and her face turned thoughtful. When she looked back at him, she nodded and took a deep breath.

"I've made my decision." She told him.

"What?" He asked nervously.

She turned to the rest of the team and looked at each of them before looking back at Owen.

"I want to join Torchwood." She answered.

"Really? You do?" He asked, his eyes wide with hope.

"I do." She smiled.

Owen crushed her to his chest and clamped his lips over hers. She moaned into the kiss as he tangled his tongue with hers and let his hands wander over her to her ass.

A cough from behind them made them break apart quickly. Gwen blushed and pulled away from Owen, looking down at the ground.

"Gwen Cooper." Jack said as he stepped forward and held his hand out for her to shake. She took it and smiled. "Welcome to the team. You start as soon as possible."

"Well...I need to tell everyone at the nursery first. I was thinking I could wait until the end of term before I leave and officially start here. It's only two weeks away." She told him.

"That's fine." Jack nodded. "As soon as you start, we'll get you trained up to become a full Torchwood operative. By the way, nice shot but your aim needs a little perfecting."

Gwen giggled as she let go of Jack's hand and wrapped her arm around Owen's waist. He kissed the top of her head as he copied her. Jack smiled and led Tosh and Ianto back into the Hub. Owen put a hand under Gwen's chin and tilted her face up to look at him.

"I love you." He smiled.

"I love you too." She replied.

"Want to come back to my place and celebrate?" He asked.

"I'd like that." She nodded. Owen took her to his flat and let her in. She looked around, giggling as he tried to hide the mess. "It's very spacious."

"I don't have that much stuff." He shrugged.

"And well lit." She said, noting the large floor to ceiling windows. She walked over to the window to look out at the city. "I love the view."

She turned to smile at him. Her smile disappeared as they stared at each other, a look of hunger and desire crossing both of their faces. Owen flew across the room and pressed her up against the window, kissing her hard. She gasped at the sudden attack but soon melted under his touch. Hands tore at clothes and they were both half naked when Owen pulled away.

"How about we take it to my bed before everyone gets a view of us." He whispered.

Gwen just nodded, her eyes closed as his hands burned her skin where he touched her. He scooped her up in his arms and ran with her to his bed. He threw her onto it and quickly covered her body with his. Owen smirked at her choice of words as he put his hands to use.

As he lay beside her some time later, he was still smiling.

"You seem amused by something." She commented as she leant up on her elbow and traced patterns on his chest.

"You just surprised me." He told her.

"I did? Why?" She frowned.

"Because for a nursery teacher, you have a very dirty mouth." He smirked. She rolled her eyes and snuggled into him. "It was hot, don't get me wrong, but it was surprising."

Gwen sighed and shook her head.

The next morning, she took a deep breath as she heard all the children entering the building. She stepped out into the main room and waited for them all to settle.

"Good morning children." She smiled.

"Good morning Miss Cooper." They chorused back.

"I've got something to tell you all." She announced. She'd asked all her staff to come in today and they all stood at the back staring at her in confusion. None of them knew what was going on. "At the end of this term...I'll be leaving the nursery." The staff gasped. "I'll miss you all and I hope to keep in touch. I'm leaving you in the hands of Miss Smith."

"Me?" Trina said, her eyes wide.

"Yes." Gwen nodded. "You are in charge now. I know you'll do an amazing job."

"Where are you going Miss Cooper?" Ruby asked.

"I've been offered another job so I'm going to work there now." Gwen told her. "But I promise to visit as often as I can."

Gwen felt tears stinging in her eyes as she looked around at her children. She smiled at them before turning and heading back into her office.

She sat down and let a few of her tears flow. Trina knocked on the door and stepped in, closing the door behind her.

"I can't believe you're going." She said.

"I know." Gwen laughed. "Me neither."

"This job, it's with that Torchwood lot isn't it." Trina stated.

"Yeah." Gwen nodded.

"Well...good luck." Trina smiled.

"Thanks." Gwen replied.

Both women smiled at each other before Gwen stood up and they threw their arms around each other. They cried into each other's shoulders, hugging each other tightly.

"Listen, you'd better keep in touch." Trina told her as she pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"I will do." Gwen smiled. "Hey, you'll all be round my place every night."

Trina laughed as she grabbed a tissue.

"Still, we've got until the end of term." Trina said.

"Then you'll be the boss." Gwen grinned.

"Do you really think I'll be able to run this place?" She asked.

"Of course you can." Gwen told her. "You'll do an amazing job."

"Thanks." She smiled.

When the parents came to collect their children at the end of the day, they were all shocked by the news. Gwen frowned as Trina took groups of them to the side and spoke to them. All day Trina had been pulling the staff to the side and chatting quietly to them. When Gwen had asked her about it, she just smiled secretively.

The last child left and they were clearing up when Owen entered the nursery.

"Hey." He smiled.

"Hey you." Gwen smiled back and pulled him in for a kiss.

"Oi, Romeo." Trina called. "I want a word with you." Owen looked at Gwen who shrugged, just as clueless as he was. She watched him follow Trina into another room before getting back to her job. They both came out smiling and Trina hit him on the arm and pointed at him. "I'm warning you, not a word."

"I won't I promise." He told her as he joined Gwen.

As they left the nursery, Owen took her hand and led her over to his car.

"What was all that about?" Gwen asked.

"Nothing." He smiled.

"You know I can get it out of you like I did with the other thing." She smirked.

"Not this time." Owen told her. "Trust me, I'm more scared of her than I am of Jack. She threatened to do things and I know she wasn't joking."

Gwen pouted as she climbed into the car.

"So where are we going today?" She sighed. "Seeing as John's no longer a threat."

"You can still come back to the Hub if you want." Owen said. "You are part of the team now, even if it's not official yet."

"Yeah true. Ok, we'll go to the Hub. You can give me some more weapon training." She grinned.

On the last Friday morning of term, Gwen went to climb out of her bed. Owen's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.

"Just a few more minutes." He said.

"No, I'll be late again." She told him. He held her tighter as she tried to get away. She giggled as he managed to get her to lie back down and he rolled on top of her. "Owen, no."

"Please." He pouted, sticking out his bottom lip. She shook her head at him and smiled. Owen trailed kisses down her neck and shoulder. "Please stay just a few more minutes."

"I can't." She said, though she was losing her resistance as his lips started heading lower. Gwen locked her fingers into his hair and arched her back into him. "Alright, just a few more minutes."

Those few minutes turned into an hour. Owen pulled her into a sweet kiss and sat up, bringing her with him. She had a very satisfied smile on her face as she draped her arms around his neck.

"Ok, now we can go." Owen said.

Gwen giggled and glanced at the clock.

"Oh shit, not again." She gasped. "Owen, this is why I said no. I'm an hour late." She jumped out of the bed and ran around getting changed. Owen just sat watching her and she growled in frustration at him. "Why are you just sitting there? You know what, I don't have time for this. Stay here, don't stay here." Owen's phone beeped and he checked it quickly. He smiled and got out of bed to get ready. "So you don't want to get ready when we're in a rush but when your phone goes off you decide to get ready."

Owen remained silent as he smiled at her and she rolled her eyes.

He drove her to the nursery, still not saying a word and she kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

Once they'd pulled up outside, Gwen noticed a lot more cars parked outside the building than there usually was. Owen cut the engine and climbed out causing her to frown in confusion.

"Come on." He said as he opened her door for her.

"What's going on?" She asked as they made their way towards the door.

"You'll see." He smiled. "Go on, go in."

Gwen opened the door and jumped out of her skin as she was met by a room full of cheering people. She looked around and saw that the nursery had been decorated with banners that said 'Goodbye Miss Cooper' and 'Good luck on your new job'. Everyone was there. All the staff, children and parents were clapping and cheering as she stood frozen in the doorway. She turned to Owen and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Did you know about this?" She asked.

"I was asked to stall you until it was all ready." He answered.

Gwen turned back to the others and smiled.

"Thank you so much." She whispered, feeling tears burning in her eyes. Trina made her way through the crowd and pulled her into a hug. "Did you arrange all this?"

"I just thought we could have a send off for you. Give you something to remember and we could say goodbye properly." Trina told her.

"I'll never forget this place." Gwen replied. She turned back to Owen and smiled. "Come here you."

She kissed him in front of everyone. The adults wolf whistled while the children giggled.

Gwen pulled away and moved further into the room, instantly swallowed up by a sea of children crowding around her. She gave them all a hug and she lost the battle against her tears. Some of the parents came up to shake her hand and wished her luck with her new job.

Once she'd got around everybody, Gwen stood in the corner of the room and watched everyone chatting and the children playing. An arm wrapped around her waist and she looked up to see Owen smiling back.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She smiled, snuggling into his chest. "I'm just...really going to miss this place."

"You don't have to leave if you don't want to. No one's forcing you." Owen told her.

"I know." She nodded. "But I want to you know. Who knows, one day I could be out there saving these children's lives without them even knowing about it. At least I'll still be doing my bit for them. I just hope I don't screw up."

"You'll be amazing." Owen reassured her. "I have faith in you, Jack has faith in you, we all do. Look how you handled that situation with John. You've already saved these kids lives and I'm sure if their parents knew about it, they'd be so grateful."

She smiled at him and he wiped away her tears as he pulled her in for another kiss.

"Hey, you two. It's not that kind of a party." Beth called.

Gwen blushed as Beth grinned over at them.

"Alright kids." Trina called. "Everyone go sit like we did earlier. Miss Cooper, would you care to take a seat here?" Gwen smiled as she sat where Trina indicated, behind the children in the middle. The staff all sat next to her and behind her as Trina passed Owen a camera. "Here lover boy, take a picture."

She went to sit next to Gwen and put her arm around her. Owen snapped the picture which popped out the other end. Trina grabbed it off him and waited for the picture to develop properly.

As Gwen went to look at it over her shoulder, she pulled it away and quickly disappeared into her office, locking the door behind her. She frowned at Owen who shrugged.

"Don't ask. I don't have a clue this time." He told her.

At the end of the day, Beth guided Gwen to a chair in front of all the children. Ruby and Ryan were led out of Gwen's office by Trina, holding something between them.

"It's a present from us all at the nursery." Ryan said.

"We love you Miss Cooper and we'll miss you lots and lots." Ruby told her as they handed her the present.

It was a little scrap book and when Gwen opened it, a fresh load of tears started to fall down her cheeks. Inside were pictures of everyone at the nursery, some of day trips they had taken together, some just taken at the nursery. There were group pictures and individual pictures. When she turned to the last photo page, she found the picture they'd just had together. At the end of the book, everyone had signed it. The children had done their big, wobbly letters as they spelled out their names. Some had drawn little smiley faces. There were little messages from the staff and parents too.

"Thank you." She whispered. "It's beautiful. I'll treasure this forever. I'm going to miss you all so much."

Everyone clapped and cheered one last time as she hugged the book to her chest.

She was still holding onto it as she said goodbye to everyone as they left the nursery. She tried to help with the clearing up but the staff waved her away and told her to go home. Hugging them all one last time, she left the nursery gripping Owen's hand tightly in hers.

"So, did you like it?" He asked as he started the car to drive them to the Hub.

"It was brilliant." Gwen smiled. "I can't tell you how much that meant to me. And you, how did you keep that a secret for so long?"

"It was hard but I didn't want to ruin the surprise." He told her. "I knew all that secret keeping would be worth it in the end and it was. You looked so happy just then."

She reached over to kiss him before he pulled away.

"I love you." She sighed.

"I love you too." He told her.

As they entered the Hub, Jack came out of his office and walked over to them. He held out his hand once again for Gwen to take and shook it.

"Gwen Cooper, I officially welcome you to Torchwood." He smiled.

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! I'm going to take a little break from writing Torchwood fics now, just so I can go away and collect some new ideas and thoughts before I come back and write some more. Plus, I have a Glee one I really want to write so it'll give me a break from Torchwood ones for a bit. =)


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